From sick to wRongO?
by ScareGlow
Summary: When Kim gets captured by Drakken, Shego needles her about Ron. In the ensuing argument, Kim unintentionally challenges Shego to get Ron to fall for her, a challenge Shego readily accepts... R&R please!
1. The challenge

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4 as well.

I know I'm not 100 percent in character with everyone here, but I hope you'll enjoy anyway. Reviews are of course highly appreciated.

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"Well, look who's finally awake."

Kim Possible slowly opened her eyes. What had happened? She could remember entering Dr. Drakken's latest lair… she fought with Shego… then nothing. Something or someone must have hit her pretty hard.

"Come on, princess, no need to pretend you're still out."

Speaking of Shego… Kim moaned and finally managed to raise her head. She was chained to the wall of a small prison cell, and the green-skinned villainess stood before her with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"At last," Shego continued. "I thought you'd never wake up. So tell me: Where's your little sidekick? He can't possibly still be wandering around the lair without us noticing."

Kim sighed, having finally fully regained her senses. "He's not here," she mumbled.

"Say what?" Shego sounded honestly surprised.

"I said he's not here!" Kim angrily retorted.

Shego grinned. "Ooooh, trouble in paradise? Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend," Kim snarled. "And we didn't fight, he's just sick is all."

The grin remained firmly in place. "Too bad, princess. But then again, that buffoon couldn't have saved you, anyway."

"He's not a buffoon!" Kim snapped.

"Oooh, getting cranky, are we?" Shego taunted. "Does someone have a secret crush on her best friend? From the way you're always defending him…"

"I don't have a crush on Ron!" Kim interrupted heatedly.

"Really?" Shego snorted disbelievingly. "Well, then you wouldn't mind if someone else grabbed him?" she needled.

Now it was Kim's turn to snort. "Who? You?!"

"Why not?" Shego challenged.

Kim started laughing. "Oh, puh-lease!"

Shego's brow furrowed dangerously. "Are you saying I couldn't snatch him if I wanted to?"

With some effort, Kim stopped laughing. "You're so not his type," she said dismissively.

Now Shego started to become really angry. "I'm every man's type!"

Kim snorted again. "Suuuure."

"I could so grab the buffoon if I wanted!"

"Keep telling yourself that."

Kim's cool answer left Shego seething. Once again, the princess had somehow gained the upper hand, but she wouldn't allow Kim to beat her again. "You'll see!" With that, she turned to leave.

"If you hurt Ron in any way…" Kim threatened.

Shego turned back to her, smiling mischievously. "Don't worry, Kimmie, I won't beat him up. Would be too easy, anyway. And if you're right about him, I won't be able to hurt him in any other way, will I, now? So what do you have to worry about?" Her grin had turned positively devilish by now, and without waiting for a reply, the green-skinned henchwoman left.

Kim swallowed. What had she gotten Ron into? She remembered his first reaction when he'd seen Shego's picture: "Make that 12!" Was there a chance that Ron could fall for Shego? She shuddered. 'No way,' she mentally reassured herself. Plus, Ron was so oblivious when it came to women, he'd probably not even notice if Shego made a pass at him.

Still, she had to get out of her bonds and this cell… She sighed. Why had she insisted on leaving Ron at home? After all, he'd just had a stupid headache! Probably the pills he'd taken had even dealt with that already, and she could really use his help right now. She sighed again. She had been too confident that she'd be able to handle the mission alone… But since the last few missions against Drakken had almost been walks in the park, she had really been sure that this one would be no different… and now she was being held captive. She could only hope Wade would send help soon, as she couldn't get free by herself this time… Hanging her head, she resigned herself to waiting.

-

"You want WHAT?" Drakken exclaimed disbelievingly. He was sure he'd misunderstood what his sidekick had just proposed.

"You heard me," Shego replied.

Drakken waved his hand dismissively. "And why should I exchange Kim Possible for the buffoon?"

"Because she has a knack for escaping! If we hold the sidekick, she won't dare interfere, and the buffoon will never be able to free himself! He's much less of a threat than princess! It'll give us free reign to do whatever we want to!"

Drakken seemed to think about it for a moment. "Gnah, be that as it may, Shego, I'd rather finish Kim Possible off now. That way, we won't have to worry about her at all!"

Shego growled lowly. Of all the times to come up with something intelligent, he had to choose now when she wanted to prove something to Kimmie. "But…" She searched her mind for an answer, when inspiration struck her. "But don't you want your arch-enemy to witness your final triumph? What fun is taking over the world when you can't watch the princess in her despair while you're doing it?"

That stopped Drakken, who was about to leave the room, dead in his tracks. He looked at Shego. "You know, Shego… you're right!" An evil smile crept on his face. "It'll be much more rewarding to take over the world with Kim Possible witnessing! That'll show her that she isn't all that!" He broke into his villainous laughter.

Shego merely smiled. Count on Drakken's desire to gloat. 'I'll show you, Kimmie,' she thought. 'Once the buffoon is our prisoner, I'll have him wrapped around my finger in no time! Let's see if you still can do anything when you don't have your sidekick anymore…'

-

In the meantime, Ron Stoppable was at home, wondering how Kim was doing.

"You know Rufus," he said to his naked mole-rat, "I feel really bad about letting Kim go alone on that mission. My headache's already gone; the pills really helped."

Rufus made a reassuring sound. "Don't worry."

"I know Kim can handle it, but I'd feel better if I was with her, you know, having her back." Ron's shoulders slumped. "Well, there's nothing I can do about it now, so I guess I'll just watch TV until she calls."

Rufus hopped to his side. "Uh-huh, uh-huh, TV!"

Just as Ron was about to switch on his TV set, when Wade's face appeared on the screen. "Ron!"

The blond almost fell off his seat. "Whoa, Wade!"

"Sorry, Ron, but this is urgent! I just got a hit on the site; it's a message for you!"

Ron composed himself. "Okay, Wade, go ahead."

Wade's image was replaced by Drakken and Shego. Ron gulped. This did not bode well.

"Hello… eh… Shego, what's his name again?" Drakken started.

Ron sighed. Why could no one ever remember his name?

Before Shego could answer, though, Drakken continued. "Well, anyhow, we just wanted to let you know that we've captured Kim Possible! I'll send you a live feed of the security camera in her prison cell to prove it! Now, if you want her to go free, all you have to do is surrender to us! Oh, and leave that rodent of yours at home! You have five minutes to consider my offer!"

The screen witched back to Wade's image, who seemed very concerned. "Ron, what now?"

There was a moment's pause; finally, Ron gulped heavily before showing his serious face. "There's only one thing I can do, Wade. I'll accept."

"You can't be serious, Ron!" Wade protested. "It's obviously a trap!"

"Perhaps it is," Ron conceded, "but I have to take that risk. Wade, KP's in danger here! What will they do to her if I don't surrender?"

The tech genius sighed. "You're right, Ron, but I really don't like it."

"Did Drakken send that feed?" Ron asked.

Wade nodded. "Yeah, Kim's his prisoner alright. And she won't be able to get out on her own; they got her chained to a wall."

"Right. I'll go then," Ron said in an only slightly shaky voice.

Rufus jumped in front of him. "Uh-uh, don't!"

Ron smiled at his little friend. "I know it's dangerous, Rufus, but I can't leave KP with Drakken and Shego! She's my best friend!"

The little rodent chattered worriedly.

"Look, Rufus, it's not so bad. Kim will take good care of you till I'm back, okay?"

Rufus sighed heavily, then nodded his tiny head in defeat. "Okay."

"Drakken's back," Wade announced.

The screen changed from Wade to Drakken and Shego again.

"So, what's your answer?" the mad scientist demanded.

"I'll do it as long as you promise to set Kim free unharmed," Ron answered in an even voice.

"Deal!" Drakken's grin threatened to split his face. "I'll tell your computer kid where the exchange will take place. See you soon… eh… Kim Possible's sidekick!"

With that, the transmission ended, leaving Ron wondering what he'd gotten himself into this time.


	2. The first attempt

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you liked the first chapter. So let's see now how Ron's first encounter with the villains goes… Enjoy, and feel encouraged to drop me a line!

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Two hours later, two parties stood on an old bridge near Middleton, ready to exchange prisoners. On one side, Ron stood in the company of Will Du from Global Justice and several GJ agents; on the other side, Drakken and Shego stood with a bound and gagged Kim.

"Alright, do-gooders," Drakken exclaimed, "no tricks!"

"We won't try anything!" Ron answered in a very nervous tone.

"Good, then let's get this party started!" Drakken replied gleefully.

Shego just sighed at yet another attempt of her boss to sound hip, but at least it had the desired effect: The exchange started.

Ron slowly walked toward the villains, while Kim slowly walked toward Will Du and the agents. Due to the gag in her mouth, Kim couldn't say anything, but she looked at Ron with imploring eyes. When they met in the middle of the bridge, Kim tried to speak around the gag, but of course she didn't manage.

Ron, seeing her anxiety, tried to sound reassuring. "Don't worry, KP, it's alright. It's not your fault; I chose this, and I'm sorry I wasn't there to have your back when you needed me. Take good care of Rufus, okay?"

Tears spilled from Kim's eyes, and she tried to speak once more, but failed again.

"Yo, keep moving there, love-birds!" Shego yelled impatiently.

Ron squeezed Kim's shoulder quickly and nodded before continuing on his way. Kim stood there a moment longer, before she finally stumbled toward GJ's agents. She forced herself forward, while every fibre of her being screamed at her to turn around, but she knew it would only lead to both of them either being captured or worse. Finally, each of them reached their destination, and even before Kim was freed from her bonds, Drakken and Shego had forced Ron into their hover car.

"Remember, I see so much as a hair of Kim Possible or Global Justice, and the buffoon will pay the price!" Drakken shouted triumphantly, while the hover car sped away into the night.

"Miss Possible, are you alright?" Will asked after he'd released Kim.

Kim, trying to steady herself, could only shake her head. "Ron…"

"Don't worry, Miss Possible," Du said in what he probably assumed to be a calming voice. "Drakken knows better than to do anything to him. He knows we'd ambush his stronghold the moment he does something to Mr. Stoppable."

Kim was still shaking, but what could she reply to that? That she was the one responsible for the exchange in the first place? That this was just an attempt of Shego to beat her in some way by proving her wrong? If anything happened to Ron, it was her fault! "We… we have to get him back."

Agent Du nodded. "Correct, Miss Possible. The question is: How do we do that?"

And that was a very good question indeed.

-

Ron sat dejectedly in the backseat of the hover car. Drakken and Shego hadn't bound him, but then again, why should they? At the current altitude, any attempt at escape would be suicide. He didn't even want to know what they had planned for him; it couldn't be anything nice, so he figured he was better off not knowing.

Shego inconspicuously eyed the blond boy on the backseat, thinking about possible ways to win her little bet with Kimmie. She'd probably have him drooling at her feet within a day or two. She smirked at the thought, especially when she pictured the princess' face when she saw it.

"Shego!"

She started. "What is it, Dr. D?" Damn! From the way he looked at her, this was obviously not the first time he'd called her.

"Are you sleeping with open eyes?" Drakken demanded. "I said we're almost at the lair. Once we've landed, you take the buffoon to his cell. Tomorrow we have to set Operation Y in motion!"

"Tomorrow?" she yelped. "So soon?" That meant she wouldn't have much time for her own little operation!

"Of course!" the scientist snarled indignantly. "Why should we wait?"

"Err…" Shego's mind raced. "Well… Yeah! What about the numbers, the calculations? And the devices? Have you double-checked them all? I mean, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, right? I mean, with Kimmie and GJ out of the picture… We should be sure that nothing can go wrong!"

"Hmmm," Drakken mused. "Perhaps you're right. After all, Rome wasn't built in a day, was it? I guess it wouldn't hurt to go through everything again, just to be sure…"

Shego inwardly rejoiced. Now all she had to do was make sure that it took Drakken some time to go through the plan once more, and she could deal with Stoppable in her own time. At that moment, she had another idea how to delay Operation Y (which she had already labelled Operation Why in her mind) and had to hide an evil smirk.

Soon after, the hover car landed. Drakken got out immediately, turning to Shego. "Take care of the buffoon! You are responsible for him!"

With that, he stormed off, and Shego turned to her prisoner. "Come on, Stoppable; it's time to get you to your room."

His head perked up in obvious surprise. "You… you know my name?" It was half question, half statement.

She smiled. This would be even easier than she thought. "Of course I do. I mean, we've met so often now…" she said in a pretty sultry tone.

"Well, that doesn't keep Drakken from always forgetting," Ron complained.

"Oh, don't mind him," she replied with a seductive smile, taking his arm softly. "After all, isn't it much nicer if I remember your name?"

He sighed. "It's okay, I guess… It's just, after we've foiled him so many times, you'd think he'd remember. It's not like I don't do anything, you know…"

Shego ground her teeth. It was okay? And he hadn't even noticed her flirting! 'Well, time to get a bit more direct…' She placed an arm round his shoulder, softly stroking his back while leading him toward his cell. "Don't take it so hard, Ron. He constantly forgets names; he doesn't even remember the names of the henchmen."

"Really?" Ron asked, his mood improving. "Well, that's something anyway. Oh, by the way, is there a chance I can get something to eat? I haven't really had time to eat anything, what with the exchange and all."

Shego forced a smile. "Sure, Ron! How about I make you some sandwiches?"

"Extra cheese?" he asked hopefully.

She resisted every instinct in her body that screamed at her to give a violent answer, instead keeping that smile firmly in place. "Of course," she cooed.

They'd reached the cell now, and Shego opened the door. "Here we are."

Ron stepped in, and she followed, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. "Is there anything I can do to make you comfortable?" she asked, her voice full of implication.

Ron looked around for a moment. "Actually, yes, there is, Shego."

She pushed away from the door and inched closer to him, a sexy smile on her face. "And what would that be, Ron?" she breathed.

"I could use an extra pillow; there's only one here. And those sandwiches you mentioned would be really nice."

Shego blinked. He hadn't said what she thought he'd said, right? She decided to try again, inching yet closer. "Are you sure that's everything I can do, Ron?" she asked in her sexiest voice.

Ron looked at her for a moment, before a small, hopeful smile appeared on his face.

'Finally,' Shego thought triumphantly. 'Took him long enough.'

"Well, Shego, there actually is something else you could do…" he started. "I mean, since you asked… but it's okay if you say no… I mean, I'd understand completely…"

"What is it, Ron?" she asked sultrily.

"Could you… err…" he began, scratching his neck.

"Yes?" she asked with half-closed eyes.

"Could you perhaps get me a TV set in here?" he finished.

There was a moment's pause. Shego's movement toward him stopped, and her eyes snapped wide open. "WHAT?"

Ron stumbled back two steps and blanched at her apparent anger. "Ah, forget I asked, sorry! I'll just lay down quietly, okay? No need to slash me, or fry me, or slash and fry me!" he exclaimed in a frightened voice.

She breathed heavily. Just how oblivious could he be? She was fully prepared to inflict some serious pain on him, when Kim's grinning face appeared in front of her mind's eye, mocking her. She shook her head. No, there was no way she would let the princess defeat her again! Not this time! She turned on her heel abruptly and stormed out of the cell.

Ron let out his breath and sat down on his bed. "Phew…" Then he sighed. "I guess that means I won't get my sandwiches or that extra pillow…"


	3. Reflections

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

Once again, many thanks for all the reviews and suggestions! I'm really having fun with this one so far; hopefully you'll enjoy reading the next chapter just as much as I liked writing it. So here goes, and as always, feel encouraged to drop me a line!

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Ron was sitting in the living-room of Dr. Drakken's lair, distractedly watching the TV with a dreamy smile plastered on his face and his eyes half closed. The reason for his smile was the raven-haired beauty that was sitting in his lap, affectionately kissing his neck while her hands were roaming across his shoulders and chest. Shego had shed her usual jumpsuit and was now sporting a green silk nightgown.

"Shego…" he finally managed to mumble.

"Shhhh," she murmured, softly placing kisses on his cheek. "No talking, Ron… I've waited too long for this."

He began stroking her back, his smile becoming even dreamier. "Yeah, the ladies can't get enough of the Ronster."

She stopped kissing him and looked deeply into his eyes. "Didn't I just tell you to be quiet?" she asked playfully, trailing a finger across his chest. "I think I'll have to give you a thorough tongue-lashing for not doing as I say."

Ron pulled her closer. "Do your worst, then," he challenged with a grin.

Shego reciprocated the grin. "I will," she sultrily said before engaging him in a deep, passionate kiss.

"NO!" Kim screamed, shooting up in her bed and panting heavily. It took her a moment before she realized that she'd had a nightmare. Cold sweat was on her forehead, and her breath came in ragged gasps. She got up and went to the bathroom to splash some water on her face. She cursed inwardly. Why couldn't she have refrained from taunting Shego? If she'd kept her cool, Ron wouldn't be Shego's and Drakken's prisoner now, and she wouldn't have to worry about her best friend. 'I swear if she so much as touches him…' The image of Shego in Ron's lap returned to her mind, and Kim grimaced. 'No,' she reassured herself. 'Ron wouldn't do that, not with Shego.'

She sighed. She knew Wade and GJ were doing everything they could to find a way to free Ron, but she felt so useless just waiting for them to come up with something. The fact that she hadn't told anyone about Shego's plans with Ron didn't exactly help to make her feel better, either. 'Ron, please be safe and stay away from Shego,' she silently prayed before returning to her bed. She doubted that she'd get much sleep, but she had to try, so that she would be rested when they'd finally found a way to get Ron back. With another sigh, she closed her eyes. It was going to be a very long night.

-

Ron was lying on the bed of his prison cell, his hands folded behind his head, waiting for sleep to come. After Shego had stormed out, he'd tried to find a way to escape, but quickly had to discover that there was no way he could get out of his cell unless someone let him. He hadn't been surprised by that, but at least he'd tried.

What had surprised him was Shego: An hour after her dramatic exit she'd returned, carrying a plate with sandwiches (with extra cheese!) and a pillow.

_Ron sighed. There was virtually no way for him to escape: The walls were thick and solid, the bars at the window massive steel, and the door was reinforced, so that it would probably take some strong explosives to open it without the key._

_He slumped down on his bed. He could only hope for Kim to come to his rescue; until then, he would have to endure whatever Drakken had planned for him, and endure it he would! He would make Kim proud of him, no matter what! He hadn't been with her when she'd needed him because of a stupid headache, but he wouldn't fail her again. He sighed. At least Rufus, his best buddy in the world, was safe; that thought comforted him quite a bit._

_Suddenly, he heard someone unlocking the door. Curious, he raised his head to see who paid him a visit this late. It was no little surprise when he saw Shego enter the room._

_His surprise must have been clearly visible on his face, because Shego, after setting down a plate with sandwiches and a pillow, looked at him, a smirk crossing her face. "See something you like?" she asked sultrily._

_That got Ron out of his s__tupor immediately, and, noticing that he'd been staring at her, he averted his eyes quickly. "No!" he cried out. When he noticed Shego's frown, he realized what he'd said, and his eyes widened in rising panic. "I didn't mean that! I mean, I meant it, but not in the way you think!"_

_Shego raised a challenging brow, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Oh? So how did you mean it?"_

_Ron was sweating now. "I mean, I didn't wanna stare at you! Not that you're not beautiful, cause you are, very! I mean really, if you weren't a criminal and way older than me…" Shego's frown deepened, and Ron, once again realizing what had escaped his mouth, continued even faster. "Not that you're old! You're young, and you look young, too! Beautiful and young!" Realizing his babbling, he let out a breath, his shoulders sagging slightly. "I mean, I was just surprised to see you again tonight, and I'll shut up now."_

_There was a very uncomfortable pa__use after Ron had fallen silent; at least he found it uncomfortable. Shego just stood there, looking at him with an unreadable expression, while he tried to brace himself for the explosion that he was sure would come after his rant._

_Shego, however, managed to surprise him yet again, for she calmly said, "I brought you that pillow and the sandwiches you asked for. If there's nothing else you need, I'll see you tomorrow."_

_He blinked, hardly able to believe she hadn't ripped him to shreds. It took him a moment to find his voice. "No, thanks, Shego, I'm good. Umm, good night."_

_She nodded and left._

He shook his head. He still couldn't believe Shego had really returned with the pillow and the food. The sandwiches hadn't even been poisoned; at least not that he'd noticed an effect. Did that mean she had been genuinely nice? Was that even possible? He sighed once more. Well, he'd probably find out, as he didn't have the impression he'd be leaving Drakken's lair soon.

-

Dr. Drakken lay down on his bed. It was very late, but he'd almost completed the check-up Shego had suggested, and it looked as if everything was ready. His doomsday devices were fully functional, and the calculations seemed to be correct as well. Tomorrow, he could finish the check-up and then proceed to finally take over the world! He smiled contently at the thought. At long last, vengeance, glory, riches, everything he wanted would be his. With these happy thoughts, Drakken embraced his teddy bear and fell asleep.

-

Shego was in her room, brushing her hair and thinking. Stoppable had proven more difficult to seduce than she'd anticipated. She had clearly underestimated the boy's obliviousness when it came to women as well as his fear of her. She'd have to make him lose his fear first, which in turn meant she had to be nice and act all buddy-like. She ground her teeth at that thought. Acting nice was something she didn't particularly enjoy… or excel at. But she would do it! She would not let Kimmie have the last laugh this time! And she had at least one idea how to change Ron's perception of her: He'd only ever seen her in her trademark jumpsuit, so she decided she'd wear different clothes for the time being. And with different clothes and a different behaviour, she was sure that she could change his perception of her from 'beautiful criminal a few years his senior' to something more flattering. She knew it would be a lot of work, especially since the boy could be so infuriating in his goofiness. It had taken her a half-hour workout in the lair's gym after she'd stormed out of his cell the first time before she was calm enough to even think about facing him again, but she had put up with Drakken and his antics long enough not to be deterred so easily. When her thoughts drifted to her employer, she had to grin. Dr. D would get quite a surprise tomorrow; at least that part of her plan had worked perfectly. It would buy her some much needed time to bond with Stoppable, delaying Drakken's scheme for a couple of days. Granted, there was a price she had to pay, but if it meant that she'd defeat Kimmie, she was willing to pay almost any price.

She had to smile and shake her head at herself when she realized that she'd turned into quite a schemer over the whole affair. Originally, she had thought making the sidekick fall for her would be a matter of hours, and now here she was, planning and plotting… But then again, Shego had always loved a good challenge, and this one had just started to become very interesting…


	4. The visitor

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

Okay, I've got a few things to say this time: First of all, thank you all for the kind reviews and the suggestions! Writing this story is a real blast, and seeing that you enjoy reading it as well is really great! I also have some bad news, though: I'll be away for the next two weeks, which means the next update will take some time. I wanted to give you a longer chapter to make up for it, but I only managed this much. The short amount of time I had is also the reason why I didn't reply to any reviews; sorry for that.

Anyway, enjoy the new chapter, and please keep the comments and suggestions coming!

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The next morning found Dr. Drakken in an almost frighteningly good mood. Humming happily, he prepared himself breakfast and collected the morning paper. Even when the toast burned, his good mood wasn't ruined. After all, he would finish his check-up today and then finally, after all this time, take over the world! Oh yes, today was a good day! After his breakfast, he scanned the paper for any interesting news, drinking his coffee.

"Mornin', Dr. D," Shego greeted on entering the kitchen.

"And a good morning to you, Shego!" he exuberantly replied, not looking up from his paper.

"Is that burnt toast I smell?" his sidekick needled.

"If you must know, yes," he replied, finally putting his paper down. "I just – whoa!" He could hardly believe his eyes. For as long as he could remember, the only instances he'd seen Shego not wearing her jumpsuit were when he'd forced her to wear a disguise or when she worked on her tan, but today, she was wearing a pair of tight black jeans and a sleeveless green top.

"What?" Shego asked when she saw Drakken's wide eyes.

"Uh, nothing!" he replied. "Err, is something special happening today?"

She poured herself a cup of coffee. "No, why?" she asked, shrugging.

He looked at her suspiciously, but decided it was better for his health to drop the subject. "No reason. So, did the buffoon give you any trouble yesterday?"

She took a sip of her coffee. "Nope."

"Good," Drakken smiled. "That means nothing will interfere with Operation Y! Once I've completed the check-up, we will start phase one without further delay! We will…"

He was interrupted in his beginning rant by the sound of the doorbell. "Oh, snap. Shego, remind me to not install a doorbell in our next lair! That stupid thing always interrupts me when I'm ranting!"

"Sure thing, doc," Shego replied flatly.

He looked at her expectantly.

"What now?" she asked.

"Well, go and see who it is!" he ordered indignantly.

She was just about to answer something, when the doorbell sounded again. "Fine," she snarled and stomped out.

Drakken leaned back with a satisfied grin. His grin faded, however, when he heard the conversation that took place at the doorstep as soon as Shego had opened the front door.

"Hello, dear!"

"Oh, hello there, Mrs. Lipsky, so nice to see you!"

"And you, sweetie! Say, is my Drewbie around?"

"But of course, Mrs. Lipsky! He's in the kitchen. Come, I'll take you there; he'll be so happy to see you!"

"Wonderful! Oh, and could you give me a hand with my luggage?"

"Sure! Always glad to help, Mrs. Lipsky!"

"Thank you, dear, you're such a lovely girl. My Drewbie is really lucky to have you around."

Drakken had paled considerably through the exchange. Due to his order "be nice to my mother!" Shego's voice had been oozing with false sweetness, and for once, he would've preferred if his sidekick had been her usual caustic self and thrown his mother right out.

He had just risen from his chair, when his mother entered the kitchen. "Drewbie! There you are! How's my boy?"

"Mother!" Drakken exclaimed. "What yare you doing here?" Noticing the scowl that appeared on her face, he hurried on. "I mean, I'm fine, thank you! How are you?"

The radiant smile she seemed to be wearing most of the time reappeared immediately. "Oh, I just missed my Drewbie so much, I just had to come and visit you! You don't mind, do you?"

"But of course not, mother," Drakken replied with a thin layer of sweat building on his forehead. "I'm always glad to see you! It's just, I'm pretty busy at the moment…"

"Oh, don't worry," his mother interrupted him. "I won't disturb you during your radio show. I know how important helping others is for you." She hugged him. "My son, the radio doctor! I'm so proud of you, Drewbie!"

He forced a smile. "Yes, yes… that's me… radio doctor…"

She released him. "So, why don't you show me my room?"

He blinked in confusion. "Your… room?"

"Of course, Drewbie!"

In that moment, Drakken noticed Shego, who stood at the door with two suitcases. "Err… Just how long do you plan to stay, mother?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "Ah, I haven't decided yet, but not longer than two weeks. I don't want to take you away from your work too long, you know."

He forced another smile. "How… great! Yes, well… Shego! Show my mother her room, will you?"

"And which one is that?" Shego asked. "The one next to Stoppable?"

Drakken blanched even further at that. "Of course not, Shego!" He hurried to his sidekick and started whispering urgently. "We can't put her in a prison cell, Shego."

"Well, where else?" she whispered back. "We don't have any guest rooms, Dr. D, remember? You turned them into storage rooms for God knows what. But don't worry, the cell next to Stoppable is the one you made for VIP prisoners."

The cell Shego was talking about was an especially comfy cell, complete with a large bed, nice, bright wallpapers, a wardrobe and a separate bathroom. When she'd asked what the deal with this cell (more a hotel room than a cell) was, Drakken simply answered that it was for VIP prisoners, whoever that might be.

"Oh… oh, right. Good." He turned to his mother. "Shego will show you to your room, mother."

She hugged him again and kissed his cheek. "Thanks. Ah, I'm so glad to be here, Drewbie!"

When his mother had left the kitchen, Drakken sank back on his chair. "I guess that means I'll have to delay world conquest for a bit," he muttered, his good mood from before completely evaporated.

-

Shego inwardly grinned, even though she had to carry the pretty heavy suitcases. Count on Mrs. Lipsky to stall Drakken! Shego didn't know why her boss didn't want his mother to know about his plans of world conquest, but she didn't particularly care, either, and at the moment, it helped her greatly. When she'd called Mrs. Lipsky the evening before, it had taken her only a few minutes to convince the annoying woman to come and visit.

"_Drew misses you so much, but he won't admit it, so I just had to call you and ask you to come."_

"_Oh dear, of course I'll come! I'll just pack a few things and be on my way!"_

"_Thanks, Mrs. Lipsky. Just don't tell him I called you, please; he'd only deny how much he misses you. You know how he can get."_

"_Of course, dearie. Boys! __I'll just tell him that I wanted to visit, and we'll keep this call our little secret."_

When they passed the cell in which Ron was still sleeping, Mrs. Lipsky peeked through the little window in the door. "Oh, who's that? One of Drew's patients?"

Shego grinned mischievously, another idea popping up in her mind. "No, actually, that's my boyfriend. He's visiting for a couple of days."

Mrs. Lipsky squealed in delight. "Oh, dearie, that's wonderful! I'm so happy for you! I always wondered why a sweet and pretty girl like you didn't have someone at her side. I'm looking forward to meeting him! He'll join us for lunch, won't he?"

Shego nodded. "I'm certain he will." She opened the door to Mrs. Lipsky's room. "Here we are." She entered and put the suitcases down near the wardrobe. "I'll let you unpack now. If you need anything, we'll be in the living-room."

"Thanks, sweetie. I'll see you in a bit, then."

Shego nodded and left the cell. Outside, she shuddered. Being nice to Momma Lipsky was definitely not one of her favourite pastimes, but it couldn't be helped; she needed the annoying woman. Now all she had to do was brief the guys, something she was actually looking forward to.

-

"You said what?!" echoed Dr. Drakken's cry in the spacious living-room.

Shego shrugged. "Hey, I had to improvise there. What else could I have said?"

Drakken paced back and forth. "You could've said he was a patient who was here for a treatment! You could've said he was a cousin of yours! You could've said anything! What in the world possessed you to tell mother he was your boyfriend?"

She shrugged again. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean, I had to come up with something quickly! What's the big deal anyway? I'll just tell him to play along if he wants to stay in one piece."

He looked at her incredulously. "And you think the buffoon will do that?"

"If he knows what's good for him, yes!" Shego retorted. "Look, doc, there's no use crying over spilt milk now, right? I'll go and tell Stoppable what to do, and everything will be fine."

Drakken looked at his assistant as if she'd completely lost her mind.

Shego tapped her foot impatiently. "Come on, Dr. D! All you have to do is remember his name! I'm the one who's stuck with playing the girlfriend!"

He sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright. Go and make sure the buffoon plays along."

Shego nodded and left. On her way to Ron's cell, a huge grin appeared on her face. Drakken had bought her story, and now she'd be able to flirt with Ron openly, without having to worry about her employer. Oh, this was going to be fun!


	5. Lunch

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I don't know why, but I had a really bad case of KP-specific writer's block, and it took me two Buffy-one-shots to get over it. Anyway, thanks for your reviews, and I hope you'll enjoy this little chapter. As always, feel free to leave a comment! And I'll try to get the next one up sooner.

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When Shego entered Ron's cell, the boy had already woken up. On seeing her, his eyes grew wide.

"Good morning, Ron," Shego purred.

He gulped. "Ah, yes, morning."

She strutted toward him. "Sleep well?"

He automatically took a step back. "Yes, very. Thanks again for that extra pillow," he nervously replied.

She kept coming closer, and Ron kept retreating until he was with his back to the wall.

"You're welcome," she replied with a smile. "Ron… I have a little favour to ask."

He gulped again. "Nothing good ever comes from these words," he muttered, but when he noticed her inquisitive stare, he plastered a smile on his face. "What is it?"

She lowered her eyes demurely. "You see, Drakken's mother has come for a visit, and she doesn't know that Dr. D tries to take over the world; she thinks he's a radio psychologist. Now she's seen you this morning, so she knows you're here and will talk to you sooner or later. You can't let her know that her son's a villain."

He raised an eye-brow. "Why not?"

She looked up and into his eyes. "It would destroy her! She's such a nice and harmless old lady, and she has a heart condition. The doctors say too much stress might lead to a heart attack or a stroke. Now, no matter how much you might hate Drakken, his mother is innocent and has nothing to do with all of this. Do you want her in the hospital?" she asked imploringly, all the while secretly congratulating herself on her performance.

Ron's eyes widened in shock. "Of course not!" He sighed and shook his head in defeat. "Alright, I won't tell her."

Shego beamed. "Thank you, Ron, you're a great guy."

"I just don't wanna cause her a heart attack," Ron replied, trying to sneak away from Shego, who was still pretty close.

"Well, there's one more thing," Shego said cautiously, trying to keep her voice from showing how much fun she was having.

"Oh? And what's that? I need to play a patient for Drakken's radio show?" he sarcastically asked.

Shego blinked. Ron and sarcasm? That was definitely something she hadn't seen before; he always seemed to retain his happy-go-lucky attitude. It took her only a second to regain her composure, however. "No, but playing is actually involved. You see, Mrs. Lipsky thinks you are my boyfriend and therefore expects…"

"What?" Ron interrupted, horror-struck. "Your… your… W-why exactly does she think that?"

She smiled mischievously. "Oh, she might've gotten the impression because you're a cute guy, and what other reason could you have to be here?"

Ron snorted. "Yeah, right. Seriously, why does she think I'm your… your… you know?"

She sighed. "Alright, so I told her, but I had to tell her something! She saw you and asked about you, and I'm not really good at improvising! So sue me! Thing is, she believes it, and if she finds out I lied, it will send her stress levels skyrocketing…"

For once, Ron immediately saw where she was going with that. "…which could lead to serious heart problems."

Shego nodded. "Exactly, so would you play along? Please?" She looked at him with big, pleading eyes.

Ron shook his head incredulously. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but okay. I'll play along, but there's a condition."

"What is it?" Shego asked, suppressing a huge smile at yet another part of her scheme accomplished.

"I must not get hurt under any circumstances! Especially not by you!" he exclaimed in a voice bordering on panic. "I mean, I know your temper, and I really don't want any plasma burns, or scratches, or broken bones, or… or anything!"

She made a soft shushing sound while putting one hand on his shoulder. "No worries, Ronster, I won't hurt you. Promise." She winked. "And who knows, you might actually enjoy being my boyfriend."

Ron let out a short laugh. "Yeah, sure, good one, Shego."

She frowned, and he immediately grew worried. "You were kidding, right? As in being not serious? Telling a joke? Being funny? Tell me you were kidding!"

She crossed her arms. "What's so bad about being my boyfriend?"

Ron began to sweat and to stutter.

"Well?" Shego prompted.

"Err, the minimal chance of survival?" Ron ventured.

Shego's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

Ron blinked. "Well, I… that is… I mean, look at you! You're a villain! And you get annoyed easily, and when you get annoyed, you get violent, and when you get violent, the chances of survival for anyone around you are pretty low, that is unless it's KP, who can handle you in a fight, but no man in this world is KP, so your boyfriend, being a man, wouldn't stand a chance in a fight with you, and every couple fights from time to time, which leads back to minimal chances of survival!" He was panting when he finished.

Shego blinked after this little rant. "You think I solve every problem with violence?"

"Don't you?" Ron asked back, honestly curious.

"Of course not!" Shego snapped.

"So when was the last time you solved a problem without violence?" Ron continued to probe.

"Well… I… I am solving a problem without violence right now! I could just throw Drakken's mother out or something, but here I am, peacefully asking you to play along," she answered smugly.

"Aren't you forgetting a little detail here? Like me being a prisoner?"

"Don't bother me with details, Stoppable! Anyway, it's time we got going. Momma Lipsky awaits."

Ron sighed. "Alright, I'm coming…"

She grinned. "Don't look so sad, Ronnie… I'll be the sweetest girlfriend you can imagine."

Leaving his cell, Ron could be heard muttering, "I so hate irony…"

-

When she entered the cafeteria, Kim was immediately grabbed by Monique.

"Okay, girl, spill! Where's Ron, and what's with the long face?"

Kim sighed. Yes, Monique had a definite knack for subtlety. "Let me get lunch first, okay?"

Monique nodded. "Alright, but then it's spill-time!"

When Kim returned to the table Monique was sitting at, she immediately noticed that quite a few other students were sitting within earshot; obviously, Ron's absence didn't go unnoticed.

Knowing that Monique wouldn't quit until she knew the entire story, Kim told her about how she'd got captured and how Ron had exchanged himself for her, leaving out only the part she hadn't even told her parents or GJ about.

"No way!" Monique exclaimed. "That boy is something else, bailing you out like that!"

"I know," Kim replied sadly, "but that's Ron for you… I have to get him out of there somehow."

In that moment, a hand squeezed Kim's shoulder encouragingly. Looking up, the red-head found that the hand belonged to Tara, her platinum blonde fellow cheerleader.

"Don't worry, Kim," Tara said. "I'm sure you'll find a way to free him."

Her words were followed by sounds of general agreement. Everyone in the cafeteria seemed to have listened to her story, and Kim couldn't help but smile a little. 'Ron, whatever you're going through right now, please hold out.'

-

'I just hope I can hold out,' Ron thought, sitting at a table in Drakken's lair with Shego on his right side and Dr. Drakken and his mother opposite him. They'd had lunch, and since they'd been busy eating, everything had gone smoothly so far. When Mrs. Lipsky put her napkin down, however, Ron knew the hard part was about to begin.

"So, dearies, you've got to tell me: How did you two meet?" she happily asked.

"We met at work," Shego replied, sneaking her left arm around his right. "At first, I didn't really pay attention to him, but after some time, I started seeing what a great guy he was, and soon after that," she continued, turning to look deeply into his eyes, which caused him to swallow hard, "I began to fall for him."

Ron tore his eyes away from Shego and looked at the Lipskys instead. Drakken was very uncomfortable, while his mother just beamed at Shego and him. "Yeah, right, that's what happened," he said in a rather squeaky voice.

"You must be quite the little charmer to make such a beautiful, sweet girl fall for you. I hope you know what a rare gift finding someone like her is," Mrs. Lipsky told Ron. "My Drewbie here is still looking for 'the one', you know."

Ron suppressed a laugh. This situation was so beyond weird! Shego's mere presence beside him, however, kept him intimidated. "Yeah," he replied, squirming a little, "sometimes I wonder what I've done to deserve her." While Momma Lipsky missed the innuendo, Drakken and Shego sure didn't.

The green-skinned villainess softly caressed his cheek, which made Ron shiver involuntarily. "Just being yourself was enough, Ronnie," she said sweetly. "I'm just glad I got my hands on you before someone else did." She enjoyed how he gulped at that, although she knew she had to make him loosen up a little if she ever wanted to win her little bet. 'Time to step up the game,' she thought mischievously and snuggled up next to him with her head on his shoulder.

"Ah, young love!" Mrs. Lipsky happily exclaimed. "Isn't it the sweetest thing, Drewbie?"

"Ah… yes! Of course, mother," Drakken hastened to agree. It was clear he didn't like this whole set-up one bit, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He could only hope that the buffoon wouldn't let something slip.

The elder Lipsky saw how Ron had stiffened in his seat and, misreading his nervousness, smiled reassuringly. "Now, now, Ronald, there's no need to be so shy about your relationship. Relax, dear!"

Shego raised her head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes. "Yeah, Ronnie, relax…" And pursing her lips, she began to lean in.

Ron's eyes went wide. 'She's going to kiss me!' his mind frantically exclaimed. He leaned back a little, but Shego, now with her eyes closed, just kept coming closer. Seeing no other way out, he did the only thing he could think of.

"So who's up for dessert?!"


	6. Shego

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

Okay, so my computer was broken AGAIN (grmpf) for two weeks, but I finally got it back a few days ago and could finish this chapter at last. I hope you all haven't completely forgotten what the story was about in the meantime. ;) Anyway, thanks for the reviews! I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter, as it is much more serious than the previous ones. Feel free to drop me a line about it, though!

And now, on with the show!

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Ron was bodily thrown into his cell and landed on his bed. Behind him, a furious Shego stormed in, slamming the door behind her. "'Who's up for dessert?!' What the hell's wrong with you, Stoppable?"

"Wrong with me?" Ron feebly replied in a terrified voice.

"Yes!" Shego snarled. "Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was?"

"Well, you tried to kiss me!" Ron exclaimed as if that explained everything.

"So? What's the problem?" Shego demanded.

"The problem?" Ron asked incredulously. "I… I can't just go and kiss you!"

"Why not?" she asked heatedly.

Ron began to stutter.

"Come on, Stoppable, why not? Am I too ugly for you?" She was clearly upset now.

He just moaned. "Of course not! It has nothing to do with that! I mean, come on, Shego, you know that you're gorgeous!" Realizing what he'd just said, Ron clapped his hands over his mouth, his eyes wide.

Shego looked surprised now. "You… you think I'm gorgeous?"

His shoulders slumped, and he sighed. "Of course I do. What man with functioning eyes doesn't?"

She actually felt flattered, and, sitting down beside him on the bed, she asked in a much calmer voice: "So what's the problem?"

Hearing that she didn't sound too angry anymore, Ron chanced a look at her. She honestly seemed to want to know. Searching for words, he scratched his neck. "You see… I just… I don't want to kiss someone when it doesn't mean anything, you know? A kiss… it should mean something… There should be sparks and butterflies and that kind of stuff."

Shego was surprised. She had never yet met anyone who had attached any kind of deeper meaning to a kiss, and she found it somehow sweet.

"Ok, I can accept that, Ron," she finally said after a short silence.

"R… Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Another silence followed, and this time it was Ron who spoke first.

"So, tell me about yourself."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, well, we're supposed to be together… So I should know a little bit about you, right?"

She couldn't argue with that. "What do you wanna know?"

"I dunno, stuff. What music do you listen to? What food do you like? What do you do in your spare time? What was school like for you? Why do you dislike your brothers so much? What happened to your parents? That kind of thing."

Another silence.

Shego was rather torn: On the one hand, she hated talking about herself; on the other hand, though, she hated losing, and she realized that she would have to open up a little to Ron if she wanted to win her bet. Finally, she reached a decision, and with a frustrated sigh, she began to talk.

"Alright, but if you ever breathe even one syllable of what I tell you to anyone…"

Ron gulped, terrified. "Got it! No talkie about Shego!"

She nodded, then took another deep breath. "These days, I listen to hip-hop, but I also still have quite a few punk rock albums that I used to like. I'm not too picky, though, and can listen to almost anything… as long as it's not some pop crap like the "Oh Boyz!"."

Ron grimaced at that, as the "Oh Boyz!" still were one of his favourite bands, but he wisely chose not to interrupt her.

"I don't really have a favourite when it comes to food. As long as it's edible, I'll eat it. I'm not too keen on sweets, though. In my spare time, I like to do pretty much anything that's relaxing, or I practise my skills. School's not up for discussion. I hate my brothers because they're annoying as hell. Hego's an air-head who wants to play leader all the time and control everyone's lives; Mego is just annoying and full of himself, he doesn't even listen when you talk to him; the Wegos… well, they're okay, but I'm not really a kids person. My parents are dead. Any other questions?"

"Why did you become evil?"

"Irrelevant. Momma Lipsky doesn't know I'm evil."

"Okay, then why do you work for Drakken?"

She squirmed a little. "Well, I was looking for a job, and he was hiring. I got the job, and that's it."

Ron crossed his arms. "You know, somehow, I believe there's more to it than that. I mean, you've stuck to him through so many failures…"

She looked into his eyes. Usually, she would simply answer with one of her caustic remarks, but somehow, unexplainably, she couldn't do that now. Something in those warm and innocent eyes of his prevented it. She opened her mouth several times, but didn't find her voice. Finally, she averted her eyes.

"To answer that, I'll have to tell you a lot of very personal stuff…"

Ron could hardly believe it, but there was really only one word to describe how Shego was looking now: fragile. She was the strongest woman he knew, one of the most dangerous people alive, but in this moment, she looked just like a very fragile young woman. He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to talk about it, Shego… I mean…"

Her raised hand made him stop.

Shego didn't know and couldn't really understand why, but for some reason she instinctively felt, no, knew that she could trust him. Yes, he was her enemy; he was often annoying; he was pretty childish; he was a buffoon, and he was very weird. It could not be denied, however, that he also was very loyal and honest, both qualities one didn't find very often in a person. Her voice was very quiet when she spoke.

"No interruptions while I talk, and once again: One word leaves this room, and you'll lose limbs."

Ron merely nodded, for once not scared by her threats.

"I take it Hego told you about how we got our powers?"

Ron nodded.

"I was fourteen when that comet hit our tree house. I was head cheerleader, an A-student, president of a few clubs and groups, all that stuff."

'Just like Kim', Ron realized, but he kept his silence.

"After I'd got my powers, though, people started looking at me funny. I didn't notice at first, but it quickly became pretty obvious. The other kids didn't wanna talk to me, didn't wanna be around me. At the same time, Hego started his stupid team, and so I had lots of other things to worry about. I just gave up my clubs and committees, and I stopped cheerleading. But that obviously wasn't enough; people didn't want me around, period. Parents complained to teachers about the "radio-active girl" and how I was a danger to others. I didn't quit school, though, but it was hard. I couldn't beat up the kids who gave me crap, because then I'd have been expelled, and my dear older brothers didn't do squat to help me. So I vented during the fights with the bad guys. Well, soon I discovered that I didn't care who I fought as long as the opponent was a challenge. Add to that that I got more than fed up with my brothers, and I was ready to quit. But I didn't; I kept fighting the good fight. Then, after one really nasty mission against Electronique, I came across that little kid in the park. She was crying cause she'd lost her doll, so I helped her look for it. I found the thing in a bush, and when I wanted to give it to her, her mother came and told me how I was a freak and should stay away from her daughter. That's when I snapped. I'd taken every piece of crap everyone had thrown at me for years, and I'd reached a point where I just couldn't take it anymore. I hospitalized that stupid woman, and it felt really, really good. When Hego discovered what I'd done, he started chewing me out, and that's when I packed my things and quit Team Go. I was on my own for some time, thieving and stuff. Then I ran into Drakken… He… He did something for me, so I accepted to work for him, and it's been that way ever since."

She took a deep breath.

"That's the abridged version."

There was a moment's silence while Ron processed all the new information he'd got. Finally, he turned to her.

"But… but what about your friends? Why didn't they help?"

Shego looked at him incredulously. "I thought I just told you: No one wanted anything to do with me after I'd got this beautiful skin colour!"

Ron blinked. "I don't understand. Why? I mean, it's just skin?" he wondered.

Shego shrugged. "Obviously it was more than that to them."

Ron slowly shook his head, still unable to grasp the thing. "I really don't get it. I mean, what does the skin colour have to do with what kind of person you are? If you're nice, you're nice, no matter if you're white, green, or some other colour?"

Shego almost had to smile at his innocent stupefaction. "Well, it does matter to a lot of people," she quietly answered.

He shook his head more resolutely. "No. No, I don't wanna believe that! People are better than that!"

She looked at him intently. For the first time ever, she thought she caught a glimpse of why the princess kept him around. Her voice was barely a whisper now. "You might be better than that, Ron, but others aren't." It was, she vaguely realized, the first honest compliment she'd paid him.

"Nah," Ron denied. "I'm not better than others. I think you've just had bad luck with the people around you."

"What?!" she exclaimed. "Ron, do you hear what you're saying?"

He looked at her uncomfortably. "Well…"

"How do you explain people everywhere calling me a freak, then? They said I was a monster, an evil creature waiting to kill them all, or at least that's what they implied! As if I'd chosen to be hit by that stupid comet! They just all pointed their fingers at me and accused me of every bad thing they could imagine!"

"And you proved them wrong by becoming a villain?" Ron asked. He didn't know where that came from, but somehow, when she'd become more and more agitated, he'd become more and more calm, and now the words were out before he could even think about them.

Shego just stared at him, wide-eyed. "You…"

"I didn't mean it like that, Shego," he hastened to add. "I just never thought that you of all people would give up like that and become what others told you to become. You're the strongest person I know; you're intelligent, beautiful and headstrong, so I don't understand how you could let others decide what to do with your life. You let them win."

If there'd been even the slightest hint of accusation or disparagement in his voice or demeanour, Shego knew she'd have fried him within seconds, but there wasn't. All she saw was honest confusion and failure to understand, and it hit her harder than anything had ever before. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She tried again, with the same result. Finally, she just turned and hurriedly left the room.

Ron gulped. "Oh boy." He looked at the ceiling. "KP, now would be a good time to rescue me, cause I think when Shego comes back, she'll kill me."


	7. Falling apart

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

First of all, thanks for your great reviews! I'm glad the first serious chapter of this story worked, for here is another one. I really hope you'll enjoy it, because I myself am quite happy with how it turned out! And you know the drill: Feedback is always highly appreciated!

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Anger and rage.

Whenever Shego encountered a situation she didn't know how to handle or that annoyed her, anger and rage were her companions, guiding her words and actions. That was the way it had always been, at least ever since she turned evil. Therefore, it was no surprise that the green-skinned villainess was once again in the gym of the lair, pummelling a sandbag.

Ron's words had completely unsettled her view of herself. She had always embraced villainy as the ultimate freedom, as the best way to get her revenge on a society that had scorned her, made fun of her and treated her most unfairly. It had been her way of shouting "in your face!", and she'd been exhilarated by all the options and possibilities villainy gave her: no place she couldn't go, no rules she had to follow, nothing she couldn't say or do whenever she wanted.

"_You let them win."_

Now, however, for the first time she could remember, she wondered. Did the buffoon actually have a point? Had she given up and proved the others right…?

No, it couldn't be! He was just a stupid kid saying stupid things!

"_You're the strongest person I know; you're intelligent, beautiful and headstrong, so I don't understand how you could let others decide what to do with your life.__"_

More blows rained down on the sandbag.

Of course he couldn't understand! He'd never been in the same situation as her!

A few hot tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks, but Shego didn't notice; her concentration was focussed solely on the sandbag she was attacking.

What did the buffoon know! He made it sound as if she'd given up, as if she was weak, but she wasn't! She had chosen her path, she alone and no one else! Evil was her game, and she was damn good at it! No one pushed her around anymore! She was where she wanted to be and did what she wanted to do! She was right, and he was wrong!

'Then why are you crying?' a small voice inside her head asked, and only now did Shego notice the tears that were streaming down her face. A sob she couldn't repress came out of her throat, and she felt her shaky legs deny carrying her anymore; she sank down on her knees, no power whatsoever left in her, bawling with all the rage, aggression and, most of all, pain she carried inside her. Suddenly, being powerful and evil felt a lot like being weak and alone.

Shaking her head to get rid of these traitorous thoughts, still unable to stop her tears, she didn't notice the person who approached her from behind. Only when she felt a hand tentatively resting on her shoulder did she look up into the worried eyes of Ron Stoppable.

-

When Shego had left his cell, Ron had felt two emotions: relief that he was still alive and unhurt, and fear that this might change once she returned. He had clearly upset her, and an upset Shego equalled a lit match in a firework store-room: about to explode and take everything around with her. But what could he do? He had already tried to find a way to escape, but… That's when he suddenly noticed. Shego had rushed out in such a hurry that she'd forgotten to lock the cell door behind her!

He carefully poked his head out, and, seeing that no one was around, he tip-toed out and down the hall. All he had to do was avoid being seen and find the way out! Surely there would be GJ, maybe even Kim, waiting somewhere close to the lair!

With rising hope, Ron carefully searched for the way out. After about fifteen minutes, however, he found himself back in front of his cell door. He refrained from crying "awww man!", as that would certainly alert someone to his presence, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Should he give up and just go back into his cell? Ron shook his head. No! He would not give up! Kim counted on him, and he wouldn't let one failed attempt stop him from escaping! So he sneaked away once more, this time trying another route. Why in the world did Drakken have to build his lairs so complicated? 'Just like his plans,' he thought and had to grin for a second. That's when he heard something.

Carefully peaking around the next corner, he saw that his way had led him to the gym, where Shego was… well, fighting wasn't the right word to describe what she was doing. He'd never seen her move so fast and so deadly, hitting her target with nearly impossible strength, while not even using her plasma powers. It was a spectacle frightening beyond words, but also strangely beautiful and fascinating. He couldn't force his body to move on, but had to stare at the young woman. Looking at her, he suddenly noticed that she was crying, and still, he couldn't find it in him to move in any direction. It was almost as if he was hypnotized by the sight he beheld. Then, she sank to her knees, bawling with such intense pain, that he found his feet carrying him to her. He knew what could and perhaps would happen when she noticed him, but he couldn't leave someone alone in a moment like this. He cautiously and softly put a shaking hand on her shoulder to show some support, unable to say anything out of fear of upsetting her even further.

She looked up, and for one brilliant moment when their eyes met, Ron could see past all the defences she'd put up around herself and truly see her.

The moment did not last.

Before he knew it, Ron fell hard on the training mat and was straddled by a furious-looking Shego. She raised her glowing hand and was about to strike. "Any last words?" she snarled venomously.

Ron gulped and nodded.

"I'm sorry."

For a moment, time seemed to stand still.

Shego just sat there, one hand keeping him pinned down, the other aglow and ready to strike. "What?" she finally asked in a shaky voice.

"I'm sorry," he repeated softly. "I'm sorry that people treated you the way they did and that your brothers didn't help you, but most of all, I'm sorry that you didn't have a friend who stood by your side." He closed his eyes, not wanting to see her hand coming down to deliver the blow he was sure would come.

Nothing happened for a moment, then he felt a drop falling on his face. Reflexively opening his eyes, he saw Shego was still sitting in the same position, only the plasma around her hand was extinguished and tears were flowing down her cheeks.

-

She couldn't do it. She couldn't deliver the final blow. Not after what he'd just said. Never in her entire life had someone apologized to her for the things she'd had to suffer through, never. And now, here was a boy who didn't have anything to do with it, a boy she fought against on a regular basis, a boy she'd never treated with anything but contempt and disdain, and he of all people said that he was sorry; not to excuse anything, not to get something out of it, not to beg for mercy, but because he meant it.

It was more than she could take. All her strength leaving her, she collapsed on him, silently sobbing into his chest while her entire body was shaking uncontrollably.

-

When her weight came down on him, Ron automatically wrapped his arms around her shaking form. He didn't really understand what he was doing, he just acted on pure instinct. Softly stroking her back, he tried to calm her down, his voice for once not high-pitched or quivering when he spoke.

"It's okay, Shego… it'll be alright… shhh…"

They remained in that position for several minutes, till Shego had calmed down enough to stop shaking. When she finally said something, her voice sounded hoarse.

"No… it won't be okay… it'll never be…"

He continued to stroke her back. "Yes, it will be, Shego. Believe me."

Suddenly, some of her rage seemed to return, for she raised her head, her face a mask of pain and anger. "What do you know about it, Stoppable? You haven't got the faintest idea…" Her voice broke, and she couldn't continue.

"I don't?" His hands stopped their stroking motion. "Shego, let me tell you a little about myself, even though you probably know most of it already." He took a breath. "I might be the most unpopular guy at Middleton High. People call me loser, trip me in the hallway, bully me and steal my lunch money among other things. The villains I fight don't remember my name, because I'm just the buffoon, the distraction, and the people we help don't even notice I'm there at all. My parents are away very often, leaving me all by myself. I don't have many talents, I'm not that much to look at, and I'm certainly not a genius. I think I understand what being an outsider and an outcast is like, what looking at popular people from the sidelines without ever being able to be a part of it feels like. And when I was hit with that attitudinator, I even got to see what being evil is like. I got to experience the power, the freedom and everything else that comes with it."

He paused for a moment, and Shego, who had listened very attentively, couldn't help but ask: "So why didn't you choose to return to evil? You… you were really good at it."

He smiled a very strange smile; it seemed sad, sympathetic and a bit wistful at the same time. "I was, wasn't I?" He sighed. "You might think it was tempting, but it really wasn't. I have several reasons for staying good. The most important ones are Rufus and Kim."

Her eyes widened a little, confusion clearly visible on her face.

"Yeah," he continued. "It's very simple really. They're my friends. KP's been my best friend since Pre-K, and Rufus is the greatest buddy I can think of. And there's others: Felix, Monique, the Doctors P, my parents, Tim and Jim and a few more. You see, no matter how bad things might seem or get, I know I have friends who will help me and stand by me, and that's the greatest feeling I know. I could never risk losing that."

He looked into her eyes.

"That's why the thing I'm sorry about the most is that you didn't have a friend like that. If I didn't have my friends, I think I'd become evil, too."

"Ron…" It was merely a whisper, and it was all Shego could say. She looked at him, awe-struck by what he'd just said. For the first time since the comet had changed her life so fundamentally, she felt genuinely understood and cared for by another person. It was the most wonderful feeling she'd ever had. More tears spilled from her eyes, but a tiny smile crept on her face as well. "Thanks…"

He returned her smile with one of his lopsided grins, nodding reassuringly. Feeling the need to break the serious atmosphere a little, he let the grin turn into a full-fledged smile. "So do you think you could let me stand up again? Not that I'm not enjoying where I am…"

He winked, and a thing he could never have imagined before happened: Shego actually blushed.

"Yeah… sure…"

She rolled off him and shakily got up, while he scrambled to his feet himself. Her back was turned to him when she heard him speak again.

"Shego?"

She slowly faced him, fidgeting and feeling nervous. "Yeah?"

He was still smiling, but now it was a nice and friendly smile. "How about we find a comfy couch and talk some more?"

She nodded slowly, another tentative smile slowly appearing on her face. "I'd like that."


	8. Choices

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

Once again, thanks for your great reviews! You cracked the 100 mark! Yay!

I realize that the story has taken a huge turn towards seriousness, but I think this can't be avoided in order to keep it at least halfway believable. I'll try to insert more humour again, though. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy the new chappy! And as usual: Feedback, suggestions and comments are more than welcome!

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It was early in the evening, and Ron was sitting on a sofa in the lair's living-room, deep in thought. He usually didn't spend much of his time in such a state, simply because he considered it a waste of time, but this was an exception. He'd had a long talk with Shego, who was sitting beside him, fast asleep. She had told him more about her past, and he in turn had told her about his life. The more he thought about it, the more he noticed how similar Shego and Kim were in many respects: They both excelled at sports and at school, they both had a fiery temper, they were both perfectionists, and they both had a few insecurities about themselves. The difference was that Kim had support where Shego didn't: Her parents, Monique, the other pupils of Middleton High (with the exception of Bonnie and her posse), the teachers, Wade and he himself… They all were there for her, cheering her on. Shego, on the other hand, didn't have that, at least not after the comet: Her parents were dead, the other pupils of Go City High were afraid of her, her brothers just told her to suck it up and ignored her worries… She was all alone.

Ron tried to imagine Kim without any friends or family. The only time he'd ever seen her like that was on the first day of Pre-K. She hadn't made any friends yet and was being picked on by a few guys; she was the only child with red hair, and for some reason, the others kids all seemed to think that was a reason not to talk to her, but when two bullies wanted to hurt her, he stepped in and tried to help her for the first time. He ended up dishevelled and bruised, but Kim saved him by calling the teacher. When she helped him up, he told her that his invisible friend would've been there any minute to help him, to which she had giggled and replied, "you're weird, but I like you". That had been the beginning of their friendship and of her world-saving career: The next day, she'd started learning how to fight, so that no one would pick on her or her bestest friend in the world ever again.

He smiled at the memories, but at the same time, he wondered. What if he hadn't helped her and become her friend that day? She could've been ostracised, especially since no one really wanted to be on the bullies' bad side. Would she have become an angry and bitter person like Shego? He sighed. There was no way of knowing.

He looked at the sleeping woman beside him.

In her sleep, she was completely relaxed, and for the first time, Ron saw her without her usual sneer or an angry expression on her face. Surprisingly enough, she looked much younger than she usually did. Younger and… vulnerable, he realized. Again, he was reminded of his best friend. Kim managed to look so grown-up on missions, but if she fell asleep on the way back, she looked just like the basic average girl she always claimed to be. He had to smile. If Shego knew how similar to KP he found her, she'd probably fry him, but then, so would Kim (just without using plasma).

Suddenly, Shego began to stir in her sleep, obviously looking for a more comfortable position on the couch. Before Ron could move, her hand found his arm, and she pulled herself closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder while embracing his arm. He began to sweat a little as he felt her body pressing softly against his side. 'She really is pretty,' he thought fleetingly, before shaking his head. 'But she needs a friend. Maybe-'

His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the living-room opened with a swoosh, and Dr. Drakken entered with his mother.

"I assure you, mother, that saleswoman didn't mean to be rude; it was just a misunderstanding!" the blue-skinned scientist wailed.

"I'm not so sure, Drewbie," replied his mother. "She gave us that look that clearly said she didn't like us to be there. You know what I mean?"

"You're imagining things, mother!"

Neither of them had noticed Ron and Shego yet. The green-skinned villainess had woken up immediately at hearing the voice of her employer. Realizing what position she'd slept in, she'd sat upright at once, looking at Ron with a hint of embarrassment. Ron had given her one of his reassuring smiles, but before either could say anything, Mrs. Lipsky finally noticed the two young people on the couch.

"Shego, dearie! Ronald! There you are! I hope we didn't interrupt anything, you two love-birds!"

She winked, and Drakken looked like he might be sick behind her back.

Shego actually blushed a little, but Ron didn't miss a beat. "Nah, we were just relaxing a little. So what've you been up to, Mrs. Lipsky?" It felt a little weird to be chatting with Drakken's mother, but she was a rather nice lady, and seeing the doctor's fearful gaze made it all the more enjoyable.

"Oh, we've been out shopping! It was time my little Drewbie got a few new boxer shorts."

"Mother!"

"And I found me a nice new dress. Oh, that reminds me: Shego dearie, why don't you ever wear a dress? You have such a nice figure; I bet you'd look lovely in one!"

Shego snorted. "Sorry, but dresses are not my style."

"Awww," Ron said with a grin. "I have to agree with Mrs. Lipsky; I'm sure it'd look great."

Shego turned to him, a caustic remark on her lips, when she stopped, realising something. The way he'd talked, no, teased… He obviously wasn't afraid of her anymore, at least not while in the company of the Lipskys. A devious grin appeared on her face, and she slid closer to him, her voice low and sultry.

"Oh, I didn't know you felt that way, Ronnie. You know, I have that tight little black dress that I could wear just for you."

He gulped. "Errr…"

She snaked a hand round his shoulder. "I was thinking a private modelling…"

It was Dr. Drakken of all people, who saved Ron from this predicament.

"Well, I'm starving! How about some dinner?"

Mrs. Lipsky smiled and pinched Drakken's cheek. "But of course, Drewbie. I'll whip something up in no time!"

As soon as his mother was out of the room, Dr. Drakken turned to Shego and Ron, rubbing his cheek where his mother had pinched it.

"Shego! Do you have to be so… clingy with the buffoon?"

She shrugged. "Well, I'm supposed to be the girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah, well… I just think you could tone it down a little."

She smirked. "Are you jealous, Drewbie?"

He blinked, before breaking into uncontrollable laughter. "Jealous? Of the buffoon?" He gasped for air. "Good one, Shego!" He doubled over, barely managing to keep his balance.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Hey, it's not that funny."

He managed to calm down. "Of course it is, Shego! I mean… Come on, you know I don't like clingy behaviour. Remember the moodulator thing?"

She scowled. "Don't mention that darned chip!"

He continued, ignoring her. "You were pretty clingy then, and it freaked me out! And the buffoon didn't look as if he liked it much better." He crossed his arms with a smug grin, as if he had proven a point.

Shego automatically turned to Ron, who raised his arms defensively.

"Hey, hey, let's leave the buffoon out of this, okay?" he pleaded, but when he saw Drakken nod in satisfaction, he couldn't help say something. "Hey, it's not like it's not nice! It is! It's just… err…"

"Freaking you out?" Drakken supplied helpfully, the smug grin widening.

"No!" Ron cried. "I mean, it's just… normally, Shego tries to slash or fry me, and I've never seen her acting nice, so I'm just not used to it!"

"Suuuure," Drakken replied ironically.

Ron looked pleadingly at Shego, trying to convey that he was being honest.

The green-skinned beauty just shrugged in annoyance. "You know what, forget it." With that, she went into the kitchen.

Ron sighed, before turning to Drakken. "Well done, blue boy!"

The scientist seemed surprised that Ron would talk to him in such a manner. "What? Me? What have I done?"

"Did you have to annoy her like that?" Ron asked.

"Oh please! She does that to me all the time!" Drakken answered with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Ron studied him for a moment. "You really don't know her at all, do you?"

The blue-skinned megalomaniac raised half of his mono-brow. "Oh, and you happen to know her so well, eh?"

"Only a little, but obviously better than you," Ron retorted. "If this is how you always treat her, I seriously wonder why she hasn't quit yet."

Drakken was getting angry now. "Listen here, buffoon…"

He was, however, interrupted by Shego's reappearance. "Your mother wants you to set the table, Drewbie," she snarled spitefully.

Seeing what kind of mood she was in, the doctor decided that a dignified retreat was in order. "Well, I'll do that, then." He sent a last glare at Ron before leaving the room.

An uncomfortable silence ensued.

Ron didn't really know where to look, and Shego just stood there, looking at him. Finally, she cleared her throat, prompting him to meet her gaze.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

He furrowed his brow in confusion. "For what?"

"For sticking up for me."

Realization dawned on him. "Oh, you heard that."

She nodded, and he just waved his arm in what he hoped was a nonchalant gesture.

"Hey, it was no big… deal," he hastily amended, not wanting to use one of Kim's catchphrases on her. "And honestly, it was nice, just a little awkweird, you know, acting all couply… But you're a really good actress! Very convincing!"

She smiled a little. "Well, it's not that much of a challenge," she said with a grin that was for once not overly mischievous.

Ron was confused. Did she mean what he thought she meant? That she actually enjoyed playing his girlfriend? He knew it wouldn't be a wise move to ask her, so he decided to go for the classic option: a change of topic.

"Anyway, why do you still work for Drakken? If you don't mind me asking."

She sighed a little, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I could give you the whole speech about how I liked being a villain, how I could do whatever I want, yadda yadda yadda, but honestly? I'm not really sure at the moment." She snorted sarcastically. "Well, it's not like I have a lot of choices."

He shook his head, his face deadly serious. "You always have a choice, Shego."

She crossed her arms defiantly in front of her chest, cocking an eyebrow. "Oh really? And what choices would that be? A: continue working for Drakken. B: work for another villain, who might turn out to be worse than Dr. D. C: turn myself in and spend the rest of my life in prison. D: work solo, always on the run and all alone. Somehow, that doesn't sound like much of a choice to me."

"You could always turn good again," Ron suggested.

Shego merely laughed, although there was a hint of bitterness in it. "Not a chance! I tried the superhero gig, didn't like it."

Ron shrugged. "I'm not talking about rejoining Team Go, but you could work for GJ, for example. I'm sure Dr. Director would be happy to have you as an agent."

She shook her head, still chuckling. "Do you honestly believe she'd seriously consider that even for a minute?"

"Then I'll talk with her. She'll listen, I'm sure!" he insisted.

She stopped chuckling and looked at him, baffled. "You… you'd really do that, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would! Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, let's see. I tried to off Kimmie and you whenever we met, tried to take over the world with Dr. D, did the villain thing? That ring a bell?"

He shrugged. "I didn't know you then. I mean, I won't pretend I totally know you now, but from what I've learned when we talked, I think you could be a good person. All you need is a little help, and laugh if you want but I'd like to help you and be your friend."

He braced himself for whatever she might say or do next.

Shego stood motionless for a moment, trying to absorb what he'd just said. Then, following her instincts, she turned and fled from the room.

After the door closed, Ron sighed. "This is getting real old, real quick."


	9. Dinner and thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

Once again, thanks for all the feedback I got! I'm glad to see the humour isn't missed too much yet, because this chapter will continue the serious part of the story. I don't want to change the category, though, as I really plan to get back to a lighter mood later on. Anyway, enough of my babbling! Enjoy the new chapter (this time even without a long wait), and as usual feel free to leave a review!

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Dinner at the Possible's was an awkward affair.

Kim was very tense, as she had been ever since the exchange, and people were walking on eggshells around her, trying not to upset her in any way when she was in such a state of worry. Even her twin brothers were refraining from saying or doing anything that could aggravate their sister. Therefore, most of the meal was spent in silence. Even Rufus, who Kim had taken with her to take care of till Ron's return, silently munched on his cheese, worrying about his favourite human.

When dinner was finished, James Possible went into the living-room, and the twins went upstairs.

"Kimmie, can I talk to you for a second?"

Kim, who had been about to leave as well, turned to her mother. "Sure, mom. What's the sitch?" She tried to sound her usual self, but she didn't need to see her mother's worried gaze to know she'd failed miserably.

"Kimmie, I know you're very worried about Ron, and so are we, but I have a feeling that there's something else that's bothering you. If that's the case, perhaps you should talk about it."

The teen heroine sighed. Of course her mother was right, but she didn't really want to admit that it was her big mouth that had got Ron into the trouble he was in now. Before she could decide not to talk, however, her mouth started working on its own.

"You're right, mom, there's something else…" And with that, she told her mother all about how she'd involuntarily challenged Shego, and how the villainess had accepted that challenge, and how Ron was in trouble because of that. "I don't even want to think about what she might be doing to him now," Kim finished, almost in tears at this point.

Dr. Possible embraced her daughter and stroked her hair. "Shhh, Kimmie, it's okay. Don't worry, Ron will be fine."

"How can you be sure?" came the muffled question from the younger red-head.

"If Shego really wants to win this bet, and from what you've told me about her, I think she does, she cannot harm Ron under any circumstance, because that would irrevocably lead to losing, so he should be safe for now. The only question is whether she will actually succeed."

Kim's head shot up at once. "Of course she won't! Ron would never do that!"

Her mother raised an eye-brow. "And why not? She's an attractive woman."

"She's a criminal! A super-villain even! She tried to kill us all the time! And she's so… so…"

"Green?" her mother suggested.

Kim blinked. "Huh? What does that have to do with anything?"

Dr. Possible smiled. "I was hoping you'd react like that, Kimmie. You know, I'm pretty sure many people would consider Shego having green skin a major problem."

Kim looked at her mother disbelievingly. "I don't care what her skin colour is, but she's so dangerous, so uncontrollable! She doesn't have any patience, so if Ron doesn't fall for her, I'm really scared what she might do to him!"

"But she hasn't killed or severely injured Drew yet, has she?"

Kim paused. "Well… no… I don't think so."

Dr. Possible smiled again. "And don't you think Drew is much more annoying than Ron?"

"Of course he is!" Kim replied heatedly, before realisation sunk in. "So you mean, if she manages to get along with Drakken without doing some major damage to him, she'll get along with Ron, too?"

Her mother nodded. "Something like that, yes. And with a little luck, you'll soon find a way to free Ron. You'll see; everything will be fine."

Kim smiled a little, the first smile of the day. "I hope you're right, mom." And once again, her thoughts went to her best friend, praying that he was alright and unharmed.

-

Dinner at Dr. Drakken's lair was an awkward affair.

At least it was for Ron. Shego had not made an appearance, and he'd quickly improvised and told Mrs. Lipsky that she wasn't feeling well and had decided to lie down for a bit. Now he was sitting beside Shego's empty seat and endured Mrs. Lipsky's merry chatter and Drakken's attempts at directing the topic of her chatter to anything that wasn't him, a truly difficult feat, as his mother loved talking about her son. Apart from his discomfort at his mother's presence, however, Drakken seemed unfazed by Shego's absence. Finally, after a half-hour of listening to stories about little Drewbie, Ron managed to excuse himself, took a plate with food and went looking for Shego.

He had to grin a little at this: He, Ron Stoppable, sidekick to teen heroine Kim Possible, went looking for Shego, super-powered criminal, and it wasn't to stop her from doing evil or stopping a scheme, but because he was worried about her.

He stopped.

Worried? Where did that come from? Yet he had to admit that he was.

The things she'd told him about herself… He had thought about it when she was asleep, and he had realised that she was not only pretty similar to Kim… but also to himself. While she had abilities and a mindset that were pretty close to KP's, her social status after the comet incident was rather close to his, although hers was even worse. He at least had friends who didn't care about his loser status: Rufus, KP, Monique, Wade, Felix and a few others. Shego didn't have anyone, and people openly despised her for no good reason.

Now Ron could be said to be a whole lot of things, but a mean person was not among them. He always wanted to help when people were in trouble or when friends needed him. Those were the reasons why he went on missions with KP, even though he was scared most of the time, but he couldn't let that stop him.

What he was about to do now was pretty similar. Of course he was afraid, but once he had discovered the lonely girl behind Shego's attitude, he couldn't find it in him not to try and help her. He sighed and continued on his way. He was pretty sure he'd find her in the gym; he just hoped that she'd exhausted herself enough, so that he wouldn't get pummelled like that poor sandbag. He grimaced at that thought. Why did doing the right thing always have to be so dangerous?

-

_I'd like to help you and be your friend._

These words kept echoing through Shego's mind as she viciously attacked the sandbag in front of her, sweating profusely.

_I'd like to help you and be your friend._

She cursed. Why had she taken Kimmie's bait and tried to get the buff… Ron to fall for her? Everything in her life had been just fine, and then he had to come along and start questioning everything. And he couldn't just try to tell her how wrong everything she did was, how inferior and how pathetic, so that she could beat him into a pulp and be done with it; no, he had to be all curious, honest and innocent about it, and now she was in serious doubt herself!

Another hit sent the sandbag flying, the chain having been torn by the force of the impact.

_I'd like to help you and be your friend._

She grabbed her head, as if she could squeeze the thought out if she just tried hard enough. She had made her decision years ago! She'd decided to be evil, to take revenge, to make the others suffer! There was no turning back now, and she was happy about it!

_I'd like to help you and be your friend._

The thought hit her like a physical blow and sent her to her knees. A friend. Wasn't that what she'd always wanted? But could she trust him? She knew the answer to that question even before finishing the thought. The boy didn't have it in him to lie or betray. But even if she accepted his offer, how could it ever work? She knew she didn't want to become one of the good guys again, and she definitely didn't want him to turn evil. She still vividly remembered what Ron had been like when he'd been hit by the attitudinator, and it wasn't an experience she'd like to repeat. She sighed heavily. Was this just another instance of fate laughing at her?

"Shego?"

She heard his voice calling her tentatively, and she almost had to smile. Of course. She should've expected that he'd come, and yet, she was surprised. If she'd had any doubt as to his sincerity, it would be gone now. Anyone who dared approach her at a moment like this had to be sincere or suicidal, and while Ron might be a lot of things, suicidal definitely wasn't one of them.

He approached carefully. "Shego? I brought you some dinner in case you're hungry."

She nodded, acknowledging that she'd heard him, but not responding in any other way.

"So how are you?"

She closed her eyes. How long had it been since someone asked her that? She wasn't sure.

"Shego?" he carefully asked again after a moment.

She took a deep breath. "I'm trying to convince myself that you're just an idiot boy who doesn't know what he's talking about, that I'm happy with my life and that I neither want nor need your friendship." And there it was. She hadn't intended to answer honestly, but somehow, her mouth had done it anyway.

"Oh." There was a pause. "So… is it working?"

She snorted in a most unladylike manner and finally looked at him. "Keep that kind of questions coming, and I'll at least manage to convince myself that you're an idiot."

He shrugged. "Well, you wouldn't be the first one to think that. Probably not the last one, either."

"Why are you doing this?" she suddenly asked.

He grinned a little. "Asking questions?" She rolled her eyes, but he saw she had to suppress a grin herself, and his smile widened. When he answered, however, his expression sobered. "I think I can somewhat understand how you feel."

"Because you're an outcast at school?" she challenged, and it was clear in her tone that she didn't think it compared to what she'd gone through.

Despite her tone, he nodded. "That, and because I'm Jewish."

Her brow furrowed. "What does…? Oh." Her eyes widening, she realised what he meant, and he continued.

"I've heard a lot of stories from different members of my family about what it's like when you're singled out, disliked and discriminated against for no real reason. My great-grandparents died in Germany in the concentration camp in Buchenwald, you know."

Shego swallowed hard. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He looked at her seriously. "Fortunately, I've never had any such trouble because of my religion. Still, I think I do understand a little about discrimination."

Shego could only nod. "I… I guess you do… I'm sorry…"

He shook his head, the seriousness fading from his expression. "You couldn't have known. No harm done."

"Is… is that why you help prin… Kim fight the bad guys?" she timidly asked.

"I guess it's a part of it, but mostly, I just wanna help and be sure KP doesn't get into trouble. She's my best friend, and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to her when I could've stopped it."

She nodded mutely.

"I mean, I know I often mess things up or make mistakes, but I try to help, you know? And if nothing else, I can at least be there for KP when she needs to talk, or to vent, or when she's getting too serious about it all." He shrugged. "Well, I guess it's better than nothing."

She looked at him in wonder. Did he really not realise just how much he did for Kimmie? How much he was needed? No wonder the princess was always so damn confident and positive! With that kind of backup, there really wasn't much that could bring her down.

In that moment, Shego suddenly realised that Ron had unknowingly handed her the key to the destruction of Team Possible. All she had to do was to keep him separated from Kimmie, and sooner or later the princess would break. It was so easy! So obvious! She almost wanted to slap herself for not realising it sooner. The question was: What would she do about it?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Ron. "So, back to my original question: How are you?"

She looked into his eyes, and they held the same honesty and warmth she had seen in them before. She managed a weak smile. "I'm okay, I guess. It's just… I have a lot to think about."

He nodded. "I guess you do. I'll leave you alone, then. Eat some dinner, okay?"

She merely nodded and watched him leave, her calm outside not betraying the debate that was raging in her mind: 'Will I use him to destroy Kim Possible?'


	10. Flight in the night

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

And another quick update! The Muse has been good to me recently. ;) Anyway, thanks once again for the nice reviews! They really motivated me to get the new chapter done quicker than usual! I hope you'll like what I came up with. So, enjoy, and tell me what you think about i!

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Shego was pacing in her room. After Stoppable had left the gym, she'd eaten the dinner he'd brought her (wolfed down was more like it, as she hadn't realised just how hungry she actually was) and then left for her room. After a long shower, she'd begun pacing and not stopped since.

She was torn.

A part of her hated Kim Possible enough to cackle with glee at the chance to finally rip the red-headed nuisance apart. Without Stoppable's constant backup, pep talks and support, Kimmie would break like a twig; that much Shego was sure of.

Another part of her, however, thought about Ron. He'd told her he'd do anything to help the princess, and she knew it would hurt him deeply if something happened to her. The problem was, after the talks they'd had, Shego found that she didn't want to cause him such pain. Then there was the fact that he'd offered his friendship, something no one had ever done.

She grinded her teeth. Why did she have to discover her stupid conscience now of all times, when she finally, after these frustrating years of constant failure, possessed the key to success, when she could finally beat Kim Possible?

"I hate irony!"

-

Kim slept badly that night, just like the night before, so she didn't mind all that much when her Kimmunicator beeped.

"What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked on activating the device. Had he found a way to get Ron out of Drakken's lair?

"Hey Kim! It looks like we're in luck: GJ just confirmed that Mrs. Lipsky is currently staying at Drakken's lair!" the genius announced.

"Drakken's mother? But how does that help us?" Kim wondered.

Wade leaned back with a smug expression. "But Kim, have you forgotten that she doesn't know about her son's criminal exploits? Do you honestly think he'd harm Ron when she's around to witness it? This is our chance to infiltrate his lair and free him! The risk is minimal!"

Her eyes widened in understanding. "You're right! Wade, I need a ride!"

The tech guru merely grinned. "Be ready in five."

If she could have, she would've kissed him now. "You rock hard, Wade!" With that, she hurried to her closet and practically jumped into her mission gear. 'Ron, I'm coming!' was her only thought as she stormed out to meet her ride.

-

Ron was lying on his bed, wondering about how all this would end. Was there a chance to help Shego? Would she even let him? She hadn't fried him when he'd talked to her in the gym, but that didn't mean much; there was a lot of anger in her, and after what she'd told him, he could hardly blame her. And then there was KP. How would she react if he told her that he wanted to help her arch-enemy? He sighed. Perhaps it was better if he didn't tell her? But then, how could he keep something so huge from her? But even if Shego accepted his help and Kim agreed to it, could he really pull it off? He sighed again. Why did he always have to get himself into trouble?

-

"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Yinel," Kim said when the small aircraft approached Drakken's lair.

"Please, call me Dee," the pilot cheerily replied. "And it's the least I could do after you saved me from that island."

"No big," Kim modestly replied. "Anyone could've fixed your plane with the equipment I had."

"Say, where's your partner?"

"He's my…" Kim was about to automatically correct the pilot, when she realised he hadn't called Ron sidekick. "Uh, I mean, he's being kept prisoner by one of my foes. I'm on my way to save him."

"Well, good luck with that, Ms. Possible. We've reached the drop zone."

"Thanks again, Dee!" With that, Kim jumped from the plane. She touched down near Drakken's lair soon after, her parachute crumbling behind her. She pulled out the Kimmunicator.

"I've landed, Wade. Any alarm systems I need to be aware of?"

The boy genius typed for a moment. "Nothing I can't disable, Kim. There! You should get inside without problems now. Just don't let anyone see you before you've found Ron."

"I won't. Thanks Wade." She deactivated the device and sneaked toward the lair. 'Head in the game, Possible. Ron's life could depend on it.'

-

Dr. Drakken was in his lab, tinkering with some device or another. He always did that to de-stress, and now that his mother had finally gone to sleep, he could actually enjoy some me-time. Things had become very complicated recently. Instead of taking over the world while Kim Possible was witnessing and weeping, he had to endure the overbearing care of his mother and the presence of the buffoon as a guest. He sighed. Well, it could have been worse. At least he had exchanged Kim Possible for the buffoon before his mother arrived. With the annoying teen here, things would be even direr than they were. He forced himself to take a calming breath. Well, it was just a matter of patience, really. His mother wouldn't stay indefinitely, and once she was gone, he'd finally be able to take over the world! He smirked at that thought, before he remembered one very important detail: He was not a patient man. Growling in frustration, he returned his attention to the device in front of him.

-

Kim sneaked through the hallways of Drakken's lair, careful not to bump into anyone. So far, everything had gone smoothly; all she had to do now was find and free Ron, then get out of the lair and to the waiting GJ transport. It sounded pretty easy, but there was one thing she had not anticipated: This place was a maze! The fact that every hallway looked the same didn't help, either. Finally though, after what seemed like hours of sneaking around, Kim found the cellblock. She peeked through the windows in the doors and barely suppressed a squeak of joy when she found Ron lying on a cot in one of them.

"Ron," she whispered.

Fortunately, he was still awake, so he heard her call and turned his head to the door. "KP?" he asked quietly yet hopefully.

"I'm here, Ron. I'll get you out of that cell, just give me one second."

She stepped back and pulled out her laser lipstick. With one quick shot, she melted the lock and pushed the door open. Ron had risen from his cot and was standing close to the door. She embraced him immediately, a single sob escaping her.

"God, Ron, I'm so glad I found you," she whispered urgently before releasing him and looking him over. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"I'm fine, KP," came the hushed reply. "But how did you…?"

"We found out that Drakken's mother's here, so we figured it'd be safe to infiltrate the base while Drakken can't do anything too villainous." She spoke very quickly, and pulled at his arm before he could ask any more questions, already turning back to the door. "Quick, we have to get out of here."

"Right behind you, KP," Ron replied, although he was a bit nervous about the whole thing. How would Shego react when she found out he was gone? But then again, he couldn't well stay Drakken's prisoner and refuse to get rescued, could he? He made a silent vow that he'd still try to help her; it just would have to wait till the next time they met.

Kim hurried through the hallways right in front of Ron, trying to remember the way out. Her euphoria at finding and freeing her best friend unharmed faded quickly when she realised that she was lost. She cursed silently but didn't slow her quick pace. 'Just a tiny bit of luck, please and thank you,' she thought while sneaking around another corner.

"KP, do you know where you're going?" Ron whispered several turns later. "I mean, this place is seriously maze-y."

She sighed. "Honestly, Ron, I'm not sure, but the general direction should be right. Do you recognise anything here?"

"Nope, sorry Kim. I wish Rufus was here; he could smell his way out or something."

Kim resisted the urge to slap her forehead. She'd forgotten Rufus! The naked mole-rat was still sleeping peacefully on her nightstand! She'd been so hyped by Wade's news that she'd completely forgotten to take the little rodent with her.

"I'm sorry, Ron," she whispered. "He's in my room, but I kinda forgot to take him with me; I was just so happy to be able to do something, and I didn't have much time…"

"It's okay, KP," Ron quietly reassured her. "We'll find a way out. Look!" He pointed ahead. The hallway seemed to be ending and leading into a large room. "That has to be one of the main chambers. We should be able to find our way out from there easily."

She smiled at him. "You're right. Let's ace this place."

A few moments later, the two teens entered the room. It was indeed one of the main chambers, the entrance area to be exact.

"Ah boo-ya," Ron whispered excitedly.

All they had to do was cross the room and leave through the main door!

They had just taken a few steps toward the exit, when suddenly Dr. Drakken entered the room, apparently coming from his lab. His eyes widened at the sight before him.

"Kim Possible!" he exclaimed in surprise. "Shego!!!"

Kim and Ron tried to run for it. They made it to the door but found it was locked.

Drakken grinned in triumph. "Ha! In your face, Kim Possible! Did you really think I would leave the front door unlocked for you to escape?"

"That's just a temporary setback," Kim shot back while getting her laser lipstick out of her pocket. She fired a shot at the lock and turned smugly back to Drakken. "And this is where we say good-bye!" She grabbed the handle, but the door wouldn't budge. "What?"

Drakken's grin threatened to split his face. "Too bad, so sad! That's not just any lock! Your precious laser gimmick won't cut it this time! Ha ha! Get it? It won't cut it!"

In that moment, Shego appeared, wearing pyjamas and generally looking pretty sleepy and grumpy. "Yo, what's the matter, Dr. D?"

"Shego!" the blue-skinned megalomaniac exclaimed happily. "It's about time! Kim Possible and the buffoon are trying to escape! Get them!!"

Shego's eyes met Ron's, and her expression visibly darkened.

The boy merely gulped. "Uh, KP…"

She shoved the lipstick into his hand. "On it, Ron. You cut through that door!" Then she jumped to meet Shego, who was now running right at the teens, her hands aglow and a vicious expression on her face.

"Forget it, buffoon!" Drakken shouted. "You won't do anything!"

The scientist was about to attack, when suddenly, a cry could be heard from the hallways.

"Drewbie? Is that you? Is something wrong? Drewbie!" Mrs. Lipsky's voice was growing louder, which meant that she was obviously on her way to the entrance area.

Drakken paled. "Mother!" He stormed off to meet her outside the room, away from the battle. "Everything's alright, mother! I'm coming! Stay where you are!"

Ron grinned. "Fortune favours the blond! Or something like that…" Then he turned and fired the lipstick at the door. The metal melted quickly, and he was able to cut a whole big enough for a person to climb through.

"KP! I got it!" he yelled happily when he'd completed the task.

Kim, who was still fighting Shego, managed to land a kick that sent her opponent flying and immediately ran to Ron. "Spankin'! Let's get out of here!" With that, she jumped through the hole, not wasting any time.

Ron was halfway out himself when he turned back. Shego had recovered and just got to her feet, and once again, their eyes met. "I'm sorry, Shego, but my offer still stands!" And then, he ducked out and followed Kim to the waiting GJ agents. 'Well, at least I could tell her that,' he thought as he was pulled into an armoured vehicle by his best friend, who hugged him tightly.

"Oh Ron, I was so worried! I'm so glad you're alright. I mean, you are alright, aren't you?"

He softly patted her on the back. "I told you, I'm fine. The worst thing I had to endure were Mrs. Lipsky's stories about little Drewbie."

Kim chuckled at that and hugged him again. For a moment, she was tempted to ask if Shego had done anything unusual or displayed any strange behaviour, but she quickly decided against it. No matter what the answer to that was, Ron would ask why she asked, and she really didn't want to tell him why she'd been exchanged for him. Instead, she basked in the knowledge that her best friend was safe again, and nothing bad had happened.

A few minutes later, Kim and Ron were boarding a plane that would take them home.


	11. Returns

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

Once again, thanks for your great reviews! I'm glad to see you don't mind the story having turned pretty serious. I also decided to change the category, as I don't see the story returning to the light-heartedness of the first chapters anytime soon. Also, the last chapter was the first time I ever referenced to another fanfic author; perhaps you noticed it (if you did, go read her stories; they're great!).

And now, on to the longest chapter yet! Enjoy!

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When Dr. Drakken returned to the entrance area, he was positively fuming. He had been mad at his sidekick before, but it had never reached the proportions it had now.

"Shego!!!"

He arrived in the large room, only to find his assistant dishevelled and alone.

"Where are Kim Possible and her buffoon?!"

His voice almost broke at the volume he was using, and Shego took an involuntary step back.

"They got away… The princess got in one lucky kick and…"

"What?!!!" Drakken interrupted, his face almost purple with rage. "You let them escape?!"

"I didn't let them! In case you didn't notice, Possible is quite a skilled fighter!"

"So are you! That's what I hired you for! If you can't beat that annoying teen, why do I bother to keep you around?"

Shego's eyes widened in shock. He'd never talked to her like this. Sure, he often got angry, yelled or complained, but he'd never questioned her like this.

"What?" was all she managed to reply.

He took a few breaths before he continued in a calmer, yet much more frightening voice. "That's right, Shego. All you ever do is give me lip, tell me what a failure I am, but the truth is: You're the failure! You can't do your job, and that's the reason that cursed all-that-teen manages to defeat me all the time!" He shook his head. "And to top it off, now you even sabotage my plans!" When he saw her beginning protest, he narrowed his eyes. "Don't you dare deny it! Mother told me about your little phone call!" Shego paled at that, but Drakken didn't even slow down. "I should've known that something was up; mother never comes to visit for more than an afternoon, and suddenly she wants to stay for two weeks? And you actually thought I wouldn't find out? What kind of fool do you think I am? And what else have you been doing behind my back?"

"Dr. D, I swear…"

"Forget it! I don't even want to know!" he interrupted, his voice growing louder again. "I have tolerated your behaviour long enough; I don't need to hear any more lies from you! I see now that my trust in you was as misplaced as my trust in your abilities! You'll never defeat Kim Possible, and sooner or later you'll just double-cross me!"

"Dr. D, I would never do that!"

"Oh, you definitely won't, Shego, because I won't give you the chance. You're fired!"

This statement was followed by a long silence.

"Wh… What? You can't fire me! You need me!" Shego exclaimed, her voice sounding more desperate than she would've liked.

Drakken laughed derisively. "Oh? And what do I need you for? Losing against Kim Possible? I don't think so, Shego! I'll place my trust in my new syntho-drones from now on! At least they don't give me lip, they're loyal, and I don't have to pay them!"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You… you want to replace me with robots?!"

"I think I made myself clear, Shego. Go and pack your stuff." With that, he turned and left.

Shego sank to her knees, staring wide-eyed into nothingness. She couldn't believe it. After the years they'd worked together, after everything they'd been through… How could he fire her like that? She wanted to be angry, to get up and go after him, but she couldn't find the strength to do it. She couldn't deny that she had sabotaged him this time, but he didn't even give her a chance to explain why! Should she go after him and try to talk to him? With that thought, her strength suddenly returned. No! She wouldn't grovel and crawl before a man who wanted to replace her with a damn robot! If he thought so little of her, if he merely considered her a tool to achieve his ends, then he wasn't worth staying with! That was when a sob escaped her. She realised she'd been rejected once again, but this time, it was by someone who'd actually spent time with her, who was an outcast himself and who should by all means have understood her situation. Only he hadn't. She stumbled to her feet, feeling more exhausted and spent than ever before. Where would she go now? Where could she go? Sure, she had enough money to afford anything she wanted, but what did she want?

She dragged herself to her room and started packing her suitcase. It was probably for the best if she went to a hotel for now and took a few days to figure this whole mess out. She still couldn't believe Drakken had actually fired her, but it started to sink in, and she found she was hardly able to keep her composure.

-

Dr. Drakken was pacing in his room, still trying to calm down. How could she have betrayed him like that? If it hadn't been for his mother's slip of the tongue, he would still be in the dark about how she'd sabotaged his plan by delaying his triumph! He was close to tears now. All his life, he'd always been ridiculed, laughed at and made fun of by people around him. Shego had been no different, but he'd always thought that he had her loyalty, even if it was only bought, that he could count on her and trust her. And now he'd had to find out that he was wrong once again. It wasn't fair! What had he done wrong this time? He'd accepted her lippy attitude, he'd forgiven all the times she'd lost her temper, he'd even come to her aid when he thought she was at the mercy of that Aviarius character! His tears finally wouldn't be denied any longer, and he slumped down onto his bed and let them flow freely. For the first time in his life, Drew Theodore P. Lipsky felt completely and utterly defeated.

When Global Justice stormed his lair a few hours later, he did nothing to resist his arrest and did not even speak a single word.

-

Kim and Ron enjoyed a quiet flight back to Middleton.

Kim was pretty exhausted, not having slept properly in almost two days, but she didn't want to go to sleep yet. She'd bring Ron home first. She glanced at her best friend and noticed that he seemed to be deep in thought.

"Hey, Ron. You sure you're alright?" she quietly asked.

He turned his head toward her. "Hm? Oh, yeah, no worries, KP." He smiled. "It was just all so strange."

She raised an eye-brow. "Strange? Strange how?" She tried to appear calm while internally worrying that it might have something to do with Shego and her behaviour towards him.

He shrugged. "You know, with Drakken's mother around and stuff. I mean I could walk pretty freely in the lair, 'cause they couldn't tell her I was a prisoner. We even had dinner together. Really strange."

She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "Well, you're free now. Don't worry about them anymore. It's over."

He nodded. "I guess you're right, KP."

A comfortable silence ensued after that. It only ended when Ron cleared his throat to speak again.

"Uh, Kim? Does this plane actually land, or do we have to jump off over Middleton?"

It was clear from his tone that he'd prefer a landing, and Kim smiled reassuringly. "We don't have to jump, Ron." She knew how much he disliked freefall, and as they weren't pressed for time, there was no need to use parachutes this time.

Ron sighed in relief. "A boo-ya for small favours."

She squeezed his shoulder softly. "I know you're no big fan of parachuting, and we're in no hurry." She yawned. "Sorry, I guess I'm a little tired. Mind if I sleep a bit?"

He grinned. "Go ahead. I'll wake you when we've touched down."

"Kay." She leaned back and closed her eyes, falling asleep almost at once.

-

The journey home took longer than Ron had expected. First, they'd had to wait till they could land due to some problem at the airport; then, the Possible's and Stoppable's had been waiting for them in the arrival hall, which of course was a nice surprise (especially since they'd brought Rufus with them, who hugged his favourite human for all he was worth and didn't stop chattering happily for several minutes) but still kept them at the airport longer than planned, and finally, they had to ride home.

At last they arrived at the Stoppable's house, and after Kim and her family had said good-bye, Ron and his parents entered their home.

"Son, is there anything we can do for you?" Mr. Stoppable asked in his calm voice.

"No, thanks dad. I just wanna go to bed if you don't mind. I'm really tired."

"Of course, honey," his mother said with a smile. "Sleep well."

Ron hugged his parents with a tired smile and went up to his room. "Rufus, buddy, you won't believe what I have to tell you," he muttered to his pet rodent, who was sitting on his shoulder. "The strangest things happened. I can hardly believe it myself, and that says something, don't you think?"

The naked mole-rat nodded. "Uh-huh. What happened?"

Ron opened the door to his room and switched on the light, his gaze fixed on his little friend. He kicked the door shut with his foot while talking. "I talked to –"

"Shego!" Rufus squeaked with wide eyes.

Ron stopped. "Yeah, how do you know?" he asked, clearly surprised.

Rufus pointed frantically toward the bed. "Hnk, Shego!"

Ron's gaze followed Rufus' paw, and that's when he saw her, too. Sitting on his bed, looking at him insecurely, was none other than Shego.

Ron stood still for a moment, blinking twice. Finally, he cleared his throat nervously, squirming while he spoke.

"Err, Shego! Hi… Umm, what are you doing here? I mean, not that I mind seeing you, I'm just surprised! You're not here to kill me or something, are you?"

The green-skinned villainess looked at him, clearly uncomfortable herself. "No, I'm not. Actually, I…" She rose from the bed and started pacing. "It's just that… I mean…" Her eyes met Ron's again, and she sighed in frustration. "You know what; forget that I was here, okay?" She turned to the window.

"Uh, Shego?" Ron timidly asked. She stopped, and he took that as his cue to continue. "I'm sure you had a reason for coming here. So what happened?"

Rufus, who had just looked on with wonder, squeaked. How could his human allow a villain in his room? He pinched Ron's cheek. "Hnk, hnk, danger! Shego!" he chirped urgently.

Ron smiled at his little friend. "Don't worry, Rufus. Shego's not here to harm us."

Rufus's eyes widened. "Huh?"

"We talked, you know, and… well, it's a bit complicated, but she said she wasn't here to harm us, and I think we can trust her there."

Shego, who had witnessed the exchange between the boy and his rodent silently, felt a slight stab. Trust her? Did he really mean that? After everything she'd done?

"I mean if she wanted to hurt me, she would've done so already, don't you think?" Ron continued, and Shego almost had to laugh. Typical! One moment, he said the sweetest thing, and the next moment, he managed to put his foot in it. At least the little rodent seemed to agree with his assessment, for he relaxed, although he continued to eye her suspiciously.

Ron, satisfied that he'd convinced Rufus, turned back to Shego. "So?"

She sighed. "Drakken fired me."

There was a moment's silence before Ron managed some sort of a reply. "Oh."

"Yeah, well, it's not like I wanted to work for him forever anyway." She didn't even marginally manage to convince herself that she wasn't bothered by her dismissal, and judging from Ron's expression, she didn't convince him, either. Before he could say anything, though, she hurried on. "So I thought I'd drop in and see how serious you were about your offer." She hated her voice for betraying her insecurity, even if it was almost imperceptible. "I mean, you said it still stood…" Her voice trailed off.

"It does," Ron said, walking to the open window that Shego had probably climbed through to get in and closing it. "So how are you?"

"You ask that a lot, don't you?" She tried for a light tone of voice, but she failed once again.

He shrugged. "Well, I won't pretend I like Drakken, but he must've meant something to you on some level, or you wouldn't have worked for him for years. So, how are you?"

She shrugged almost helplessly. "I… I don't know. It hurts. I… I guess I thought he understood me, being blue and all…" She looked down, exhaling deeply. "I feel alone."

Ron slowly walked over to her and softly put a hand on her shoulder. "You are not alone, Shego, not if you don't want to be."

Her voice was barely audible when she answered with shimmering eyes. "Promise?"

It was surprising how unlike her usual self Shego sounded and looked, and for once, Ron knew exactly what to do.

"Promise," he said with a nod in his most serious voice.

Shego nodded back with a small smile.

Ron noticed how she seemed to sway a little and her arms twitched a bit, as if she tried to refrain from… from what? Suddenly, understanding hit him and he carefully pulled her into a hug. He felt her stiffen for a second, before she wrapped her arms around him and clung to him like a drowning person. Her body shook with sobs she couldn't repress, and they stood like this for a while before Ron could hear a faint, pleading whisper coming from her.

"Please… please don't… don't hurt me…"

He swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in his throat. In this instant, hearing this desperate plea from the woman he'd always thought of as one of the toughest and hardest there were, he truly understood just how fragile the person hidden behind this exterior really was and how much she'd risked by coming here and opening up to him.

"I won't," he promised quietly. "I won't."

To Shego, these words were like much-needed medicine. She had opened up to him, let him in, and she knew she couldn't undo this. She hadn't trusted anyone like this in a very long time, and now he could hurt her more deeply and more brutally than anyone or anything else. She knew she wouldn't recover if he hurt her, too, like so many others had done in the past, so she did the one thing she hated most: She pleaded. Pleaded for her heart and soul, for she had no defences left to protect them with. Hopefully, she wouldn't need them anyway. He said she wouldn't, and she desperately wanted to believe him.

Ron didn't know how long they stood like this, but eventually, with all his adrenaline receding, he noticed how exhausted he was. Shego seemed to notice, too, for she let go of him, wiping at her eyes.

"You… you should go to sleep. You must be dead on your feet."

He yawned, but shook his head. "It's okay; I'm not that tired."

A small smile crept on her face. "You're a horrible liar. You can barely stand on your feet. Come on, bed it is for you."

"Where are you staying?" he suddenly asked, and she shuffled her feet a little.

"Well, actually, I haven't got a place yet, so if you could point me to a motel or something…"

"Nonsense," he interrupted, fighting hard to keep his eyes open. "You can stay here. I'll take the floor."

"You won't take the floor!" she protested.

"Well, one of us has to. I have to sleep in my room, and so do you; otherwise my parents will find out you're here in the morning, and I don't think they'd understand." He stumbled toward his bed, dragging his pyjamas from under the blanket. "I'll be right back," he said with yet another yawn, before leaving for the bathroom.

When the door closed, Shego noticed Rufus staring at her intently from atop of Ron's desk. She looked at him curiously. In all honesty, she wasn't quite sure how much the little rodent understood about what was going on around him, but somehow, she felt utterly scrutinised by his look.

"Hnk, no hurt Ron!" the mole-rat chirped with conviction, pointing his little paw at her.

She had to smile at the loyalty Ron's pet showed. "I won't, I promise," she said.

Rufus seemed to consider if she was being truthful, but in the end, he gave her a paws-up and a grin. "Hnk, okay." Then he scrambled down from the desk and onto the nightstand, where his sleeping place was.

'He isn't so gross,' she thought, while the tiny rodent settled in for the night. Then she realised that her clothes were still outside in the hover car she'd taken to get here. She opened the window and silently climbed out. When she climbed back in a short while later, Ron still hadn't returned from the bathroom, so she took the opportunity and changed into her pyjamas. She'd just tied up her hair for the night when the door opened and Ron shuffled in, wearing pyjamas and barely able to keep his eyes open. Noticing that she had a toothbrush in her hand, he vaguely pointed toward the door. "The bathroom's down the hall on the right side."

She nodded and left the room quietly, not wanting to wake up Ron's parents. In the bathroom, she splashed a few handfuls of water on her face to get rid of the tear stains on her face and the redness in her eyes, then proceeded to brush her teeth. When she returned to Ron's room a few minutes later, by now feeling rather tired herself, she found the blond lying on the floor and sleeping.

"I don't believe it," she grumbled, although somehow, she wasn't all that surprised. "Well," she said to him, even though he couldn't hear it, "if you wanna be my friend, you should know that no friend of mine sleeps in a worse place than me if I can help it." With that, she carefully picked Ron up and put him in the bed. "Just be happy you're such a lightweight, or I'd have woken you up."

He mumbled something unintelligible but stayed asleep.

She looked down at his sleeping form with a smile. "Goofball," she mumbled before climbing into the bed and lying down beside him. "Don't try anything while I sleep," she mock-warned. Then she sighed, her mood turning serious again. What had she gotten herself into? She'd sworn to never trust anyone ever again, and now here she was. But then, where else could she have gone? And perhaps, just this once, fate wouldn't laugh at her. Maybe this time, she had put her trust in the right person, she thought with a last look at the sleeping form of Ron Stoppable beside her. Soon after that, she was sound asleep herself.

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AN: Alright, I feel like I should justify myself at least a little.

Drakken-Fans, please don't hate me! I'll try to redeem my favourite villain (and have already tried to give a little insight as to why he acted the way he acted)!

Shego-Fans, don't worry! The green vixen hasn't lost her claws and will be back in true form soon! I know she seemed pretty un-Shego-ish, but I did put her in an extreme situation in order to give more credibility to her behaviour (and tried to build up to it during the previous chapters).

And now that I've made my defence, you may fire away with your comments, criticism and suggestions! ;)


	12. Friday morning

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except hopefully a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

Wow! Thanks for this incredible amount of positive feedback! I'm glad to see you like where I'm going with this story! On a sadder note, I won't be able to update this story for at least a week, because I'm moving to a different city this weekend. After that, though, I'll try to get a new chapter up as quickly as possible. And now, have fun with the new chappie!

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Ron was woken from his sleep by his mother's knocking at his door.

"Ron, time to get up!"

He cleared his throat, but didn't open his eyes. "I'm up, I'm up!" Hearing his mother's footsteps disappear and grumbling a little, he turned over, pulling the form next to him close. "Just a few more minutes…"

His tired brain then started processing the new information it had just received when his hand had come into contact with something beside him. There was something in bed with him! In an almost cartoon-like fashion, his hand slowly trailed up and down the form to determine just what it was. Realising that it was a human body, his eyes suddenly shot wide open, only to behold the grinning face of Shego right in front of him.

"Good morning, sport. Enjoying yourself?"

His hand shot back as if scalded. "Shego! I'm sorry! I…" That's when he realised another thing: He shouldn't be in bed! He'd lain down on the floor! "Oh God! Did I come into bed during the night? I didn't mean to!"

She decided to relieve him of his worries, even though she couldn't deny that he looked cute when flustered. "You didn't. When I came back from the bathroom, you were already sleeping on the floor, and I couldn't leave you there, so I put you in bed."

"Oh… okay… that explains it." He didn't know what exactly to make of this revelation, but he didn't have much time to think about it as he realised when his gaze fell on the alarm clock on his nightstand. "Whoa! I have to get ready, or I'll be late for school!"

Shego playfully pouted a little. "Oh, do you really have to go? It's so comfy in here…"

"Err…" Ron replied nervously, beginning to sweat a little. "I… uh… I really have to… ah… you know…"

She grinned. She knew she shouldn't enjoy this so much, but she couldn't help herself. Finally, she swung her legs out of the bed and stood up. "I know, I was just teasing you. So, what's the plan for today?"

He scratched his head while getting out of the bed himself. "Well, I'll go to school, and when I get back, we should talk about what you want to do now."

Shego looked around uncomfortably. "I don't know what I wanna do… I mean, I know I don't wanna return to my brothers and their stupid team, and Drakken's not an option anymore…"

"Like I said, I could call Dr. Director, hear if you could work for GJ…" Ron ventured.

"I don't know…" Shego seemed unsure. "I think I need some time to think about it all."

He nodded. "We're in no hurry. If I remember correctly, my parents are leaving for an actuary conference in Europe today, so we have the house to ourselves."

She had to grin. "Oh, do we? And what would you suggest we do, unsupervised as we'll be?" she asked in a sultry voice.

"Huh?" he asked, before understanding set in. "Shego!" He blushed furiously, which only made her grin widen. "I just meant you could leave my room without getting into trouble."

"I know, just playing with you," she said with a wink.

Ron sighed. "Shego, could you… I mean… could you not do that? The playing, I mean?"

From the way he said it, she realised immediately that she'd hit a sore spot and felt a rush of fear. She couldn't have ruined everything already, could she? "I'm sorry, Ron, I didn't mean anything by it!"

Her alarmed tone of voice didn't go unnoticed by Ron, who looked at her slightly confused. "It's okay, Shego," he told her. "It's just… I've had some bad experiences in the past, you know?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't know…"

"Of course not, how could you?" he said, still wondering about her fearful expression.

"So… we're good?" Shego asked hesitantly.

"Sure we are," Ron confirmed with a smile, finally understanding why she'd suddenly seemed so scared. "Shego, don't worry; I'm not about to end our friendship over something like this. But friends should be honest with each other, so if I say or do something you don't like, you tell me and vice versa, okay?"

She nodded with a relieved expression. "You got it."

"Alright, I'll go down and have breakfast; otherwise my mom will come up again. I'll be back soon."

"I'll be here," she replied with a shrug.

Ron nodded and left his room. Downstairs, his mother was waiting for him in the kitchen.

"There you are, dear. Did you sleep well?"

"Oh yeah; I was so tired, I was asleep before I was in bed."

"Ron, your teacher Mr. Barkin called."

Ron's eyes grew wide. "Mr. B? What did he want? Aww, don't tell me he wants to give me detention for missing yesterday!"

Mrs. Stoppable smiled. "No, dear, he called to see how you were. When I told him how late you came back yesterday and how exhausted you were, he allowed you to miss first period today."

"Really? And you're sure it was Mr. Barkin? Not an impostor?" Ron could hardly believe it. Had the heavens heard his prayer and granted Steve Barkin an ounce of sympathy, possibly even a conscience?

His mother nodded. "I'm sure, Ron. And I thought, since you've had this horrible ordeal, maybe I should stay back and not go with your father to this conference."

Ron paled a little, but tried to act nonchalantly. If his mother stayed, Shego wouldn't be able to leave his room at all! "Come on, mom, it's not like I've never been held prisoner by Drakken before! It's no big, honestly! You go with dad; I'm sure he needs your support more than I."

Mrs. Stoppable eyed her son anxiously. "Are you sure? It would be no trouble for me to stay behind this once."

Ron smiled. "Mom, I've been through worse, believe me, and if I need something, I can always call KP."

She nodded. "Alright then. I'll call your father; he's already left for the airport to cancel my flight. You have some breakfast, dear." With that, she went to the living-room to call her husband.

"Okay, mom," Ron answered and sat down at the kitchen table. His mother had prepared a huge breakfast for him, obviously worried that he hadn't got enough to eat during his captivity.

A few moments later, she returned to the kitchen. "Alright, Ron, I have to leave for the airport, or I'll miss the flight. Don't be late for second period, and please don't procrastinate in doing your homework till Sunday. We'll be back next Thursday. The fridge is stocked, and I've left you some money on the living-room table. If anything happens, we've both got our cell phones with us."

"Okay, mom."

"Bye, dear. Love you!"

"Love you, too, mom!"

As soon as the front door had closed, Ron climbed up the stairs to his room. True to her word, Shego was still in his room, leafing through one of his comic books. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Honestly, do you own anything readable besides comic books?"

He grinned. "Do school books count?"

She rolled her eyes. "I guess I'll have to buy you some real literature, then."

Ron moaned theatrically. "Oh please! Isn't it bad enough that KP insists on buying me clothes? Do you have to add books to torment me even further?"

"Princess gets you your clothes? The girl's got no fashion sense whatsoever."

Ron went over to his wardrobe and opened it. "Kim's got me some nice things; I just don't feel like wearing them often."

Shego peered over his shoulders. "Hey, there actually are some nice things in there!" Apparently surprised by that, she moved between him and the open wardrobe in a fluent and graceful motion and began looking through his things.

"Er, Shego…"

"Hush, I'm looking for something wearable here." She didn't even turn round.

"But I'm already wearing something!"

"Yeah, something. Now give me a minute to get you something good, or at least as good as I can manage with what you've got."

"But I'm happy with what I'm wearing now!"

"Well, I'm not, so would you let me do this?" She finally looked at him, pausing in her quest. "I'm just trying to do something nice here, so please?"

He sighed in defeat. "Go ahead."

She smiled. "Good boy." With that, she returned her attention to Ron's wardrobe.

"By the way, my parents are gone now, so you can move in the house freely. My teacher called to tell me that I got the first period off, so I have a little time before I have to go to school."

"Okay," Shego acknowledged noncommittally.

Suddenly, Ron's computer monitor sprang to life, showing the round face of Wade Load.

"Ron! Are you there?"

Ron jumped in surprise, and Shego automatically dived into the wardrobe.

"Wade!" Ron replied. "What…?"

"Ron! Quickly! You have to get out of your house! During my routine scan, I just detected the signature of a hovercraft nearby! I can't find it, so it must be cloaked, but that means Shego could attack you any minute!"

Ron had hardly ever heard Wade so agitated. "Wade, don't worry! I'm sure I'm in no danger, and…"

"Ron! Haven't you listened? Shego's nearby! After Drakken's arrest, who knows what she might be up to? You have to get away!"

"Drakken was arrested?" Ron asked in surprise.

Wade seemed about ready to jump through the screen now. "Ron!! That's not the point! Get out of there! Now!"

Shego sighed and moved out of the wardrobe. There was no way Ron would be able to convince the nerdlinger that he wasn't in danger, so she might as well show herself.

"Oh God, Ron! She's behind you! She was in your wardrobe!" Wade cried.

"Wade, calm down!" Ron replied. "I know she's here! She's my guest!"

The computer whiz froze. "What?"

Thinking it unwise to say something just now, Shego let Ron answer.

"Wade, I know it sounds unbelievable, but Shego's my guest. Drakken fired her, and I offered to help her, so…"

"You did what?" Wade almost fell out of his chair at Ron's announcement.

"She's not a bad person, Wade, and she needs help. Isn't that what we're all about?"

It took several minutes of explaining and scans of all kinds to convince Wade that Ron was not under mind control, replaced by a syntho-drone or otherwise coerced into saying what he said. Finally, the tech genius had to acknowledge that Ron was himself, healthy and wholly uninfluenced.

"Alright, so let me get this straight," Wade said, trying to wrap his mind around what Ron had told him in many words over the last few minutes. "You think that Shego deserves a second chance, you want to help her, and you don't want Kim or GJ to know about it just now? Is that about it?"

Ron scratched his neck. "I think that's a good summary."

"Are you out of your mind?" Wade hollered. "She's a wanted criminal! The fact that you haven't called the authorities is a felony already! And that's not including harbouring a criminal!"

"It isn't that easy, Wade!" Ron shouted back, getting angry himself. "I thought we were all about helping people, giving them another chance and stuff!"

"That doesn't mean that we can just ignore the law!"

"Oh yeah? But we can ignore the law when you need to hack into government networks? Or satellites?"

"That's different!" Wade retorted, but it was clear from his expression that Ron had got him there.

"Whatever! I promised Shego I'd help her, and I won't break that promise! Now you can either help me or stay out of it, but don't work against me!"

Wade took a deep breath and eyed Ron intently. After a short silence, he finally asked, "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"Note serious face," Ron replied evenly.

Wade sighed. "Alright, I won't tell anyone, but I have a bad feeling about this."

"Thanks, Wade, "Ron replied with a relieved smile.

"Yeah, thanks," Shego quietly added. It was the first time she'd spoken since Wade's face had appeared on the monitor.

"Uh, yeah, you're welcome," the tech genius replied uncomfortably. "But someone's bound to find out sooner or later; I hope you know that."

Ron nodded. "That's why I need you to call GJ for me, Wade." This earned him the undivided attention of the other two. "Please ask Dr. Director if there's a way to drop the charges against Shego. A deal or something."

Wade seemed to consider it. "That's not going to be easy, Ron."

"I know. Call in whatever favour necessary, Wade. If someone can do it, it's you."

"I'll see what I can do," he replied sincerely.

"Thanks Wade, you rock extra hard!" Ron replied with a smile on his face. "I really appreciate this!"

The computer expert nodded. "I just hope you know what you're doing, Ron." With that, he signed off.

Shego sighed. "Do you think he really won't tell anyone?" she asked cautiously.

Ron nodded with conviction. "I trust Wade, Shego. He's never let me down before. So, what outfit have you decided on?"

It was a pretty obvious attempt at changing the topic, but Shego took it, not wanting to think too much about the whole situation herself.

"Well, I was thinking those dark grey cargos and this blue shirt," she said, holding out said items.

Ron nodded and accepted the clothes with a theatrical sigh. "So be it, oh mistress of fashion."

He actually managed to break the tension, as Shego smiled a little at this. "Don't act like it's a huge sacrifice on your part."

"Alright, alright. Why don't you go down and help yourself to some breakfast while I change?"

"Sounds good to me," she replied and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Shego?"

She looked at him over her shoulder.

"You can trust Wade, really," Ron said calmly, trying to reassure her.

"Do you trust him?" she asked simply.

"With my life," he replied honestly.

"Then I trust him, too." And with that, she left Ron's room and headed down to the kitchen.

When the door closed behind her, Rufus, who'd been sleeping till Wade's rather loud appearance, climbed up his human's leg and onto his shoulders.

"Hnk, lots of trouble," he chirped worriedly.

"I know, Rufus," Ron agreed. "But I think she's worth it."


	13. Barkin, Bonnie and other blowups

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

Alright, sorry for the long delay! With moving and my new job, I just didn't find much time to continue, but the story's not forgotten! I'm glad to see there's still interest in it, of course, and I really hope that the next update won't take as long as this one did (keep your fingers crossed!).

For now, enjoy the new chapter!

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When Ron arrived at school, Mr. Barkin was already waiting for him.

"Stoppable, my office! Now!"

Ron gulped and followed the burly man. What kind of trouble could he be in now? His question was answered as soon as the ex-marine sat behind his desk.

"Stoppable, I know you didn't miss school on purpose, but that doesn't mean you don't have to complete the assignments you missed! Possible collected them for you, and I expect them on my desk Monday morning at 800. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Mr. B," Ron meekly replied.

"Good; that's all. Dismissed!"

Ron quickly escaped from the office every student at Middleton High feared and hurried to his locker. Unsurprisingly, he found his best friend waiting for him there.

"Hey KP!"

She looked a little tired, but smiled at him. "Hey Ron! Did Mr. Barkin talk to you already?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I guess you have a couple assignments for me."

She smiled sympathetically. "I can come over tomorrow and help you, kay?"

He smiled, but then remembered that Kim coming over equalled Kim finding out Shego was at his house equalled disaster. "Ah, no, it's okay, KP."

Her look clearly displayed her surprise and confusion, and Ron began sweating a little. "I mean, uh, I'll try to get through it on my own. If I get stuck somewhere, I'll call, but perhaps I won't need any help."

Kim raised an eyebrow questioningly before shrugging. "Okay. I'm sure you can manage, potential boy."

A derisive laughter echoed from behind, and turning, Ron found himself face to face with Kim's high school nemesis, Bonnie Rockwaller.

"What's the matter, loser? Wanna prove you can actually get something done yourself?"

Ron sighed and rolled his eyes, but Kim was quick to respond.

"Don't call him loser, Bonnie!" the redhead snarled.

"Standing up for your dorky boyfriend, K?" the brunette teased.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Kim heatedly replied.

Bonnie waved her hand dismissively. "Guess not. Who'd want to date that freak anyway."

That's when it happened.

Ron heard the word "freak", and suddenly, he could see scenes in his mind's eye: a girl his age with light green skin, all alone, called that name among others by some Bonnie-like cheerleader again and again until she couldn't take it anymore.

With reflexes that surprised both girls, his hand shot out and grabbed Bonnie around the throat, applying a slight pressure. Before the brunette could do anything, she was pushed hard against a locker. The way Ron looked her in the eyes sent a shiver of fear down her spine.

"You can call me anything you want," Ron hissed in a tone no one had ever heard him use before, "but I ever hear you use that word again, and I promise you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Are we clear?"

Kim could only stare in shock. She'd never seen Ron like this, not even when he used his serious face, and she found herself frozen, unable to do anything, even though her mind screamed that she should go between her best friend and her rival.

Bonnie struggled to get out of Ron's grip, but it was no use. Unshed tears were shimmering in her eyes as she made a desperate, whimpering sound.

Ron, however, didn't relent. "I said, are we clear?!" he yelled, shaking the brunette cheerleader.

Bonnie was more than scared. She wasn't used to being threatened, and from the way Ron looked at her, she was sure he meant every word of what he said. "Yes," she managed to get out in a tiny voice. Ron continued to look at her for a moment longer, and she knew she'd have nightmares about this look.

"What's going on here, people?" the voice of Mr. Barkin suddenly echoed through the halls.

Ron's little display had attracted a lot of attention, and naturally, the vice-principal noticed that and went to find out what everyone was looking at.

Ron finally released Bonnie, who sank down to her knees, her tears flowing at last, and rubbed her throat.

"Stoppable!" Mr. Barkin had just arrived. The ex-marine had seen a lot of things in his life, but he'd never expected to see the day when Bonnie Rockwaller was a sobbing wreck. The fact that Kim Possible was standing nearby, her eyes wide with shock and – was it fear? – only added to his impression that something was very, very wrong. "What happened here?"

Bonnie managed to point a shaky finger at Ron, who seemed unmoved by Mr. Barkin's arrival.

"He… he strangled me!"

The burly teacher looked at Ron. "Is that true?"

"Yes, but only a bit," Ron calmly answered, surprising everyone yet again. "She said the f-word, Mr. B, and I couldn't help myself."

Mr. Barkin felt like he was in the wrong movie. "The f-word, Stoppable? Are you serious?" Ron's nod and expression left him almost speechless. Almost. "What is wrong with you?! Everyone uses that word sometimes! Granted, you shouldn't curse, and if you have to, you can always use another word, but you can't strangle people for it!"

Kim finally had regained her senses enough to enter the conversation. "Not… not that word, Mr. Barkin," she weakly said, still trying to wrap her mind around what she'd just witnessed. "Bonnie called Ron a freak."

The vice-principal cleared his throat and adjusted his tie. "Oh… well… in that case…" Suddenly, he stopped. "That doesn't change anything!" he boomed. "Stoppable, no word, be it freak or the f-word, justifies what you just did!"

"So it's okay for her to call people freak? It's okay for her to tear into others as much as she likes? We just all have to swallow whatever she throws at us? Is that what you're saying?" Ron's voice gained in volume and anger as he spoke. "You're protecting the biggest bitch in this school when for once, someone stands up to her? That's the moral of the story?"

Mr. Barkin blinked. Ron Stoppable had yelled at him. It was hard to believe, but it had definitely happened. Another thing he'd never expected. It took him only a moment to regain his bearings.

"Stoppable! My office, now!"

And then, the next unheard-of thing happened. Ron shook his head. "Forget it, Mr. B. I'm going home."

Steve Barkin could only stand slack-jawed as Ron Stoppable turned on his heels and marched right out of Middleton High.

-

Shego was sitting on the couch in the living-room of the Stoppable home, when unexpectedly, the door opened and Ron walked in. She looked up curiously.

"Ron? What are you doing here? I thought you had school?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, I went home early."

She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Did you, now? Why?" she asked, getting up. She had an uneasy feeling about this.

He sighed, but before he could formulate an answer, the door opened again, this time allowing Kim Possible in.

"Ron! What has…? Shego!" Kim could hardly believe her eyes. Standing in the living-room as if it was the most normal thing in the world was Shego, wearing not her usual jumpsuit, but a black pair of jeans and a green top, and looking pretty shocked at her sudden entrance.

Ron took a step toward Kim. "KP, this is not what it looks like!" he exclaimed, trying to prevent havoc.

Kim's eyes narrowed at the glamorous thief. "So that's why Ron attacked Bonnie! You got him to do that! I should've known! Ron would never strangle someone, not even Bonnie!"

Shego blinked, not understanding. "What?"

"So how far did you have to go to win that little bet, huh?" Kim continued venomously.

Shego paled at the mention of the bet, but before she could say anything, Ron cut in.

"What are you talking about, KP?"

For the first time since entering, Kim turned her head to look at Ron. "When I was captured by Drakken, Shego and I had a little talk," she spat.

Shego took a step toward her as if to prevent her from continuing, her face ashen, but Kim didn't even notice, as her focus was entirely on Ron.

"She felt challenged to seduce you by something I said, and it seems like she succeeded." Kim felt tears well up, but forced them down. "I just hope it was worth it," she said bitterly.

"W…wait," Ron replied meekly, trying to grasp what was going on, while his stomach felt like it was free-falling. "What are you saying, KP?"

Kim took a shuddering breath. "I'm saying that whatever Shego might have said or done was just a ploy to win you over, to prove to me that she could do it."

Ron slowly turned from his best friend to the green-skinned woman, who had started trembling at Kim's words.

"Is it true?" Ron's whisper was barely audible.

Shego felt a stinging in her eyes and blinked rapidly. She couldn't deny that it had started that way, and she didn't want to lie to him, so what could she say? Her silence seemed to be all the confirmation Ron needed. He turned and slowly headed for the stairs.

Kim, who had never seen her best friend so devastated, timidly asked, "Ron?"

He stopped but didn't face either of the women. "I… I need some time alone." He continued towards the stairs.

"Ron…" Kim tried again, and this time, his head whipped round. Tears were on his cheeks, and it broke Kim's heart as well as Shego's to see him like that.

"I said I need time alone!" he shouted. "Is that too much to ask?"

Kim shrank back. "No… no… of course not…"

He opened his mouth to say something else, but no words came out, and finally, he stormed up the stairs and slammed the door to his room behind him.

There was a moment's silence, before Kim, who couldn't contain her own tears anymore, turned to Shego. "I hope you're happy now."

Shego's reply was wordless: She sank to her knees, unable to keep standing. Again, she'd lost something that was dear to her, but this time, it was no one's fault but her own. She wanted to blame and hate Possible, but she just couldn't. Once more she felt completely powerless to do anything; she couldn't even prevent her body from being shaken by silent sobs she couldn't repress.

Kim watched this display with surprise and shock. She would've expected anything from gloating to an outright attack from Shego, but not this. Her mind was reeling. What did this all mean? Trying to calm down and find a solution to this mess, she pulled out her Kimmunicator and called Wade.

"Hey Kim, what… whoa! What's wrong?" Wade asked, concerned, when he saw Kim's tear-stained face.

"Wade, I… I just…"

The tech genius had a pretty god idea what was going on, seeing that Kim was at Ron's house. "Let me guess, you had an argument with Ron?"

She half-nodded. "Kind of. Shego's here…"

He sighed. "Yes, I know." He thought it best not to pretend ignorance.

Kim's eyes widened. "You knew?"

"Yeah. I found out this morning. Listen, Kim, Ron genuinely wants to help Shego, and it seems as if she really wants his help, too. Every test I ran while we talked shows that Ron is uninfluenced and serious, and the same is true for Shego. If she'd lied, my sensors would've picked up on it."

With an uneasy glance at her arch-nemesis, who was still in a heap on the floor, Kim asked: "So… so she didn't just seduce him to use him against me?"

Wade raised an eye-brow. "What makes you think that?"

Kim's eyes switched back from the other woman to the boy on the screen. "I… I have to tell you something." And with that, she told Wade about the bet and what had happened a few minutes earlier.

The young genius sighed, scratching his head. "Kim, you know that Ron has every right to be angry with the two of you, right?"

She nodded mutely, blinking a few times to keep more tears from spilling.

"I mean," Wade continued, "he probably feels really betrayed, and with good reason. Frankly, I have a hard time understanding why you didn't tell us about that myself."

"I just… I felt ashamed…" she weakly replied.

Wade nodded. "Well, I can understand that, but I hope you also understand Ron."

Kim hastened to nod. "Of course I do, Wade, and I'll do whatever I have to to make it up to him!"

He showed a somewhat hesitant smile. "That's good to hear, Kim, 'cause I think there's really only one thing you can do."

Kim looked at him questioningly for a moment, before understanding set in and her eyes widened.

Wade picked up on that and nodded. "Yes," he replied to the unspoken statement. "Talk to Shego."


	14. New hope

Disclaimer: I don't own KP or any of the characters, and I don't earn anything with this story (except a few reviews).

AN: This story ignores the events of "So the Drama" and consequently season 4.

Okay, so this update took even longer than the last one; once more, my apologies and a big thank you to all who reviewed and continued to virtually "kick" me to continue. Also, a Happy New Year to you all!

This chapter ends this story. I do have a few ideas for sequels (and there are things I haven't resolved that I need to address), but I'll take a little break from this pairing first.

So thanks for reading, and enjoy the last chapter!

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"Wade, you can't be serious!" Kim exclaimed.

"I can and I am, Kim," came the reply. "I don't see another way."

There was a pause.

Finally, Kim sighed in defeat. "Alright, Wade, I'll try. Talk to you later." She switched off the Kimmunicater after Wade had wished her luck and turned to Shego, who was trying very hard to pull herself together.

As their eyes met, Shego snarled aggressively, although she couldn't stop fresh tears from falling. "Well, congratulations, princess, you've done it once again."

Kim bit her lip in order to keep from taking the bait. She knew that a fight with Shego wouldn't get her anywhere. "Listen, I think we both need to calm down, okay?"

Shego laughed hollowly. "Calm down? Staying calm never got me anywhere. I think I'd rather smash that pretty little face of yours!" She took a menacing step forward, igniting her hands with her plasma, but stopped dead in her tracks at Kim's next words.

"Would Ron want that?"

Shego blinked, and a moment later, her shoulders slumped. "Damn you, Kimmie," she muttered in a tired voice. "That was a low blow. You didn't have to bring him into this."

"Oh yes, I did," Kim replied, trying hard to keep her voice calm. "This is all about him. What did you do to him?"

"Me?"

"Yes, you!" the redhead answered heatedly. "The way he acted in school, that's not the Ron I know! So what did you do?"

Shego looked at her, honestly confused. "I don't know what you're talking about, princess." She did have a feeling of – was it worry? – though, so she had to ask. "What happened?"

Kim held her gaze for a moment, trying to find out if Shego was lying. She couldn't discover any signs of it, so she finally answered. "He attacked Bonnie, one of the cheerleaders, in the hallway and got into Mr. Barkin's face. That's our vice principal. Then he left."

Shego gasped at that. She couldn't really imagine Ron attacking anyone.

Kim saw her reaction and felt the need to defend Ron. "I mean, it's not like Bonnie didn't provoke him, but still, it's not like him to get violent."

Shego had a sinking feeling in her stomach. "What did this Bonnie do?" she silently asked.

"She mocked him, made fun of him, but that didn't faze him. Then she called him freak, and that's when all hell broke loose."

Shego took an involuntary step back at this proclamation. "Oh no…"

Kim looked at her intently. "What is it, Shego? Tell me!"

The green-skinned woman slowly shook her head. "I shouldn't have told him…"

It all made sense now! She could easily imagine what had happened… Ron knew how much she'd been hurt by being called freak over the years, and hearing a person he didn't like use that same word… He'd probably blown a fuse. And who could blame him? Still, it worried her that he'd resorted to violence; Ron just wasn't the kind of guy who could ever threaten or harm anyone. That was more her kind of style, and she really didn't want him to copy it, knowing where it would lead him. She really needed to talk to him! But would he even listen? After what he'd found out just now… which brought her thoughts right back to her red-headed enemy, who was staring at her and obviously running out of patience.

"Shouldn't have told him what?" Kim asked, exasperation clearly audible in her voice.

Shego sighed. She was having an inner debate about what to do now. Part of her wanted to fight Possible, verbally or physically, yet another part of her knew that it would be counter-productive. In that moment, she realized one thing: If she wanted to try and save the friendship she had with Ron, she'd have to get along with the princess somehow. Those two were a package deal, always had been. The question was, could she accept that? Finally, she came to a decision and looked at Kim with an unreadable expression.

"I'll tell you, but there's one condition."

Kim's eye-brows rose. "And what condition is that?"

"You…" Shego found it very difficult to say the words, but she knew she had to. No matter how much she despised Kim, she knew how important the redhead was to Ron. So she'd show weakness this once… but only this once! For him… "You let me be a part of Ron's life."

-

Ron was sitting in his room. He didn't really know what to do; the revelation that Kim and Shego had made some sort of bet… it had really shaken him. Had he been wrong about Shego? Had it all just been a ploy to get him to trust her? He found it hard to believe that… And what about Kim? What could she have said to Shego? He sighed. He felt hurt, confused and kind of alone, and the bad thing was he couldn't see that changing anytime soon.

Suddenly, however, he was torn out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. "Ron?" Of course, Kim.

He glanced at his alarm-clock. It had been almost two hours since he'd come up, so he shouldn't be surprised. Kim had never been one to let things be, especially if she felt at fault, so it was more surprising that she'd even waited this long before trying to talk to him again. Ron knew he had to face her sooner or later anyway, so he sighed once more before calling out, "come in".

He didn't turn when the door opened. "What do you want, Kim?" he asked in a tired voice with his back to her.

Kim nervously cleared her throat. "We want to apologize, Ron."

At that, he spun round, and indeed, there was Shego standing right beside Kim. Both women were unhurt from what he could tell (which was kind of surprising given their history), and both seemed very uncomfortable.

"Ron, "Kim began, "we're really sorry. Shego and I talked downstairs, so I know what happened."

Ron blinked, then turned to Shego. "You told her everything you told me?"

The green-skinned woman held his gaze, although she was trembling a little. "The abbreviated version, and I left out one or two details, but other than that, yes." She took a tentative step forward. "Ron, I'm really sorry. And I'm not playing a game here. You can hook me up to any device, shoot me with a truth ray or whatever, but please give me a chance to prove that I'm telling the truth."

He looked at Kim. "You believe her?"

The redhead nodded. "I do, and I think I have a pretty good idea why you're trying to help her."

Ron slowly shook his head. "I really don't know what to think anymore..."

Kim looked at him seriously. "Ron, whatever you might think, we swore we'd be best friends forever, and I plan on keeping that promise. I know I've made mistakes, and I'm sorry, but I'll try to make things right again." She took a deep breath. "For now, please talk to Shego, okay?"

They shared a long look before Ron finally nodded.

Kim smiled. "Alright, I'll be downstairs then."

-

Kim found it very hard to leave Ron's room and return downstairs, but she knew she had to.

When she'd said that she thought she knew why Ron was helping Shego, she hadn't lied: Shego had told her about herself in the past hours before they'd gone to Ron's room, and Kim had realized something she was sure Ron had realized, too: She and Shego were pretty similar in several aspects, even if they both didn't want to admit it, so it was almost logical that Ron would try to be Shego's friend if given the chance. Well, with the whole bet and everything, Ron had received that chance, and obviously, he'd taken it.

She had to smile. It was just like Ron to see the good in a person, even if no one else could; not only that, but he even managed to bring out that good, and if Shego really reformed now, it was all thanks to Ron. And she was pretty certain Shego would.

She sat down on the couch in the living-room, still smiling. With everything she'd done for other people, with the many times she'd saved the world or helped save it, with all the things she'd achieved in her young life, being able to call Ron Stoppable her best friend was still the one thing she was most proud of.

-

Upstairs in Ron's room, silence had descended upon the two people standing opposite each other, unable to look the other in the eye. Finally, it was Ron who broke the silence.

"So it wasn't a game?"

Shego gulped. He sounded more timid and anxious than she'd ever thought possible from him, and it dawned on her just how much damage she and Kim could have caused.

"Only at the beginning, but after we had our first real talk… no. No, it wasn't a game." She tried to sound as honest as possible, knowing that everything depended on whether he believed her or not.

"Why did you talk to Kim? You don't even like her…"

She was a bit surprised by the question, but she answered honestly. "You're right; I don't like her. That doesn't change that she's your best friend, and I have to accept that. That's why I told her. And to be honest, after I'd talked to you, it wasn't as hard to talk about it again."

Ron seemed to consider her answer for a moment before he spoke again. "So what do you expect now?"

She took a deep breath. "I don't expect anything, but I hope we can be friends again. I…"

She took a tentative step toward him. "I really don't want to lose that."

She looked at him, but his expression didn't betray his thoughts, which scared the villainess a little.

"Look, I'm really sorry, and if you tell me what I can do to make it up to you, I'll do it! I mean it!"

His voice sounded hoarse. "Anything?"

Shego gulped. He was asking for a lot, and she was sure he knew perfectly well how much he was asking. In the end, it came down to whether she trusted him or not. With that thought, she answered almost automatically.

"Anything."

There was a moment of tense silence after her reply, but finally, Ron's mouth twitched, and a small smile formed on his lips.

"Okay then."

She was tempted to reciprocate that smile, but her nervousness wouldn't allow that just yet.

"So what do you want me to do?" she asked with more anxiousness than she would have liked.

His eye-brows rose, and his lopsided grin spread all over his face, while he shrugged his shoulders.

"Uh, nothing really; I just wanted to see if you were serious. But of course, I wouldn't say no to an invitation to Bueno Nacho. The Ronster's always up for some sn-mmmm!"

He was cut off in the most pleasant way possible: Shego, hearing what he said, just couldn't keep herself away from him anymore. He not only accepted her apology, he didn't even want anything in return for the gift he'd given her; this precious gift, his friendship and trust, was what sparked something inside her, and in that very moment she knew she'd fallen for him, and fallen hard. Being the impulsive woman that she was, her relief and happiness could only be channelled in one way, so Ron found himself cut off by a pair of black lips on his own.

When Shego let go of him, his eyes were glazed over, and a dazed smile was on his lips. Seeing the effect she had on him, the very last bit of doubt inside her vanished, and an enormous weight was lifted off her shoulders and her heart.

"Thank you, Ron."

He only managed a slow nod and something that sounded like "uh-huh".

She embraced him with a playful smile.

"I hope there were enough sparks for you, 'cause it definitely meant something to me," she whispered.

That got him out of his daze, and he pulled back a little so he could look her in the eyes with a serious expression.

"No games."

"No games," she echoed, softly caressing his cheek with her fingertips.

He nodded and leaned in for another kiss, and this time, it was Shego who was left with a dazed smile.

Ron's expression turned thoughtful, though. They'd have to deal with a lot of things, only few of which would be easy; it would definitely be a long and hard way…

"What are you thinking about?" she softly asked, having noticed his sudden change.

"The future… It won't be easy, you know?"

She nodded, but smiled. "It won't, but between the two of us, we'll manage."

She sounded so sure that he had to smile a little, too. Plus, he liked how she said "we". "I hope so. For now, there's one thing I'm really worried about."

"What's that?"

"That we have to tell Kim about what's just happened," he said anxiously.

Shego smiled. "I think she won't be too surprised. I may not like her all that much, but I have to admit that she's clever."

"So there's a chance I'll survive the day?"

"A very good one. And if all else fails, you still have me."

He sighed and nodded, squaring his shoulders. "Alright then, let's go down."

Shego nodded and left the room at his side. He was right, it wouldn't be easy, but she meant what she'd said: As long as she had him by her side, she'd be able to deal. He'd already become her rock and her strength, and she knew he'd never leave her. 'Perhaps I'll even return to the good guys,' she mused with a smile as Ron led her down the stairs and onto the path of a new life.


End file.
